An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
