Cameron says Britain needs more drones, special forces to fight IS threat

British Prime Minister David Cameron leaves 10 Downing Street in London, prior to the budget being unveiled at the Houses of Parliament, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. It is the first economic budget since Britain's Conservative party won the general election with an overall majority. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) (The Associated Press)

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron addresses Royal Air Force airmen and officers during a visit to RAF Coningsby England Monday July 13, 2015. Britain's military should invest more in drones and elite troops to help counter the threat from the Islamic State group, Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday, calling terrorism one of the "evolving threats" facing the U.K. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT (The Associated Press)

LONDON – Prime Minister David Cameron wants Britain's military to invest more in drones and elite troops to help counter the threat from the Islamic State group.

Cameron says he's asking defense chiefs to consider boosting quick-response counterterrorist capabilities such as "spy planes, drones and special forces."

On Monday, Cameron is visiting an air force base that is home to Britain's fleet of Reaper drones, which have flown surveillance missions over Iraq and Syria as part of the U.S.-led campaign against IS. British warplanes have struck targets in Iraq, and Cameron has suggested the mission could be expanded to Syria.

Britain's military has faced a budget squeeze in recent years as Cameron's government cut public spending. But Treasury chief George Osborne has committed to spending 2 percent of national income on defense.