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An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.

Security Guidance for MoD Personnel

In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.

He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.

Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.

But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.

After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Broader Defence Context

The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.

This broader defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.