A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
