CIA Wants Larger Drone Fleet

Extra drones could be deployed in Pakistan, Yemen, or North Africa

The CIA has asked the White House for a significant expansion in their fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles. If approved, the agency could add as many as 10 drones to an inventory of between 30 and 35 already amassed. The Washington Post reported Thursday:

The proposal by CIA Director David H. Petraeus would bolster the agency's ability to sustain its campaigns of lethal strikes in Pakistan and Yemen and enable it, if directed, to shift aircraft to emerging al-Qaeda threats in North Africa or other trouble spots, officials said.