A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. 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 MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
