An defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
