An defense official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid 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 discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
