The British Army will increase part of its budget for spy planes, drones and special forces to fight extremism, British Prime Minister David Cameron said today.
The British government announced last Sunday that it will set aside the minimum amount recommended by NATO, ie two percent of GDP, for the army during the next five years, which will be the duration of Cameron's new mandate. Cameron was re-elected in May.
"I have tasked the defense and security chiefs to look specifically at how we can do more to counter the threat posed by IS (short for Islamic State) and Islamic extremism," Cameron said, according to the statement.
The Islamic State group controls large parts of the territory in Syria and Iraq.
"This could mean more spy planes, drones and special forces. Over the past five years I have been able to see to what extent these are vital elements for ensuring our security," said the British Prime Minister.
British military leaders should independently examine spending. In doing so, they should prioritize the threats that are developing, whether it is terrorism, extremism or the growing aggressiveness of Russia, and whether that threat is physical or a cyber threat, according to a statement from Cameron's office.
It will also consider how the British Navy could use the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles and special forces in cooperation with its partners such as the US.
Great Britain is a member of the international coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and providing monitoring missions in Syria.
Some members of the government have recently begun to push for the idea of the UK joining countries carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria.
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