A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
