A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
