An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
