A defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
