Minister States Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Advised to Refrain from Secret Talk in Vehicles.
An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
