A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport use to communication practices.
