A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
