Obama Counterterrorism Speech LIVE: Full Updates on President's Address at National Defense University

Impact

President Obama is going to lay out his counterterrorism policy today at 2pm EDT at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. This comes a day after a leaked memo from the Justice Department shows that four Americans were killed in U.S. drone strikes.

President Obama will "lay out the framework for U.S. counterterrorism strategy as we wind down the war in Afghanistan, and as he looks forward to the rest of his second term," according to a White House statement on the speech. The speech is likely to include the details of the 2011 strikes that killed Anwar al-Awlaki, Samir Khan, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, and Jude Kenan Mohammad. 

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." The drone program is one of the most controversial policies of President Obama's tenure, drawing criticism and suspicion from both sides of the aisle.

President Obama is also likely to address the ongoing crisis at Guantanamo Bay, considered by many to be one of his biggest campaign promise failures and a nightmare for public perception. He may finally announce follow-through of closing down the prison as part of a broader counter-terror plan for the U.S.

Watch the live stream here with PolicyMic and follow along for our analysis.