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A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.

Safety Guidance for Defence Staff

In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.

The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.

We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.

But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.

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

Wider Security Context

This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.

Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.

The wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to communication habits.