17:28 24 November 2015
David Cameron has announced £12bn extra defence spending and plans to invest in two 5,000-strong “strike brigades”, additional F-35 jets, maritime patrol aircraft, and high-altitude drones. The announcement came following 13 November attacks in Paris, which left 130 people dead.
Setting out the government's Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), Mr Cameron announced:
· The replacement of the UK’s four ballistic missile submarines, which would cost around £31bn based on previous estimates
· The replacement of scrapped Nimrod aircraft with nine Boeing P8 maritime patrol aircraft
· The purchase of 24 new F35 fighter aircraft by 2023
· The reduction in the number of Type 26 anti-marine warfare frigates from 13 to eight
· The purchase of more than 20 new Protector drones
· £1.9bn budget for cyber security
· “Strike brigades” sourced from existing Army numbers and equipped to deploy across the globe
· £85m a year in enhancing BBC services around the world
Mr Cameron said that although we do not know what to expect, "but we can make sure that we have the versatility and the means to respond to new risks and threats to our security as they arise."