A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, from transport use to communication practices.
