United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron is pushing to spend more money on drones and other technology to confront Islamic extremists.
In the wake of a terror attack at a Tunisian beach that left 30 vacationing Brits dead last month, Cameron on Monday called for using increased defense spending to combat rising terror fears.
{mosads}“Now we know how much we will spend, what matters next is how we spend it,” Cameron said in remarks during a visit to the Waddington air force base, which launches Reaper drone missions over Iraq and Syria.
“I have tasked the defense and security chiefs to look specifically at how we do more to counter the threat posed by ISIL and Islamist extremism,” he added, using an alternate acronym for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). “This could include more spy planes, drones and special forces.”
“In the last five years, I have seen just how vital these assets are in keeping us safe,” he added.
Last week, Treasury head George Osborne committed to spending 2 percent of British GDP on defense spending, in a surprise move that matches targets set by NATO.
Monday’s announcement comes as a further hint that Cameron wants U.K. lawmakers to reconsider their 2013 decision to ban airstrikes in Syria. Despite that 2013 vote, the U.K. is still active over Syrian skies, providing surveillance support and refueling missions for a multinational coalition that includes the U.S.
British drones have flown more than 1,000 missions and launched strikes against more than 300 ISIS targets in Iraq, according to the prime minister’s office.
In his remarks, Cameron also warned that future threats will not only include terrorism but also cyberattacks and “an increasingly aggressive Russia.”