A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to communication habits.
