USA: President Obama focuses on counter-terrorism and national security on Thursday with a major speech that touches on drones and the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
In remarks at National Defense University, Obama is expected to announce new limits on drone strikes against overseas targets, and renewed efforts to close Gitmo.
"In a broad and comprehensive address, President Obama will lay out the framework for U.S. counter-terrorism strategy as we wind down the war in Afghanistan, and as he looks forward to the rest of his second term," said a White House statement.
The president's speech is scheduled for 2 p.m.; he has meetings with staff members in the morning.
Obama is expected to discuss how the terrorist threat has changed since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. While al-Qaeda has been severely damaged in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the White House now cites new threats "from al Qaeda affiliates, localized extremist groups, and homegrown terrorists."
The speech comes a day after the Obama administration revealed that drone strikes have killed four Americans, all terrorist suspects, in counter-terrorism operations since 2009.
The White House said Obama "will discuss why the use of drone strikes is necessary, legal, and just, while addressing the various issues raised by our use of targeted action."
That includes a new "policy guidance" that sets out "standards under which we take lethal action," the White House said.The president "will also discuss how to balance securing our country and protecting our civil liberties at home," said the statement, including new steps he plans to take to close the Guantanamo Bay prison.
The national security speech is a follow-up for the Feb. 12 State of the Union address in which Obama pledged to be more open his counter-terrorism policies.
That night, Obama said that "in the months ahead, I will continue to engage with Congress to ensure not only that our targeting, detention, and prosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances, but that our efforts are even more transparent to the American people and to the world." |
