An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
