A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from transport use to communication practices.
