In his final major speech on national security, U.S. President Barack Obama is touting his counterterrorism policies for protecting Americans from multiple evolving global threats during his eight years in office.

The White House says Obama will claim his administration has successfully built coalitions and collaborated with local governments to neutralize Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist groups without overextending U.S. military forces. He speaks Tuesday at MacDill Air Force Base in the southeastern state of Florida.

White House deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes said, “This represents a more sustainable approach … one where we had a limited number of U.S. forces on the ground.”

But some counterterrorism experts contend the rise of IS is an indication the Obama administration did not respond soon enough, despite the administration’s success in killing key militant leaders.

President-elect Donald Trump said during the campaign season Obama and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton were “co-founders” of IS by accusing them of allowing the initial spread of the terrorist group.

Obama will defend his counterterrorism record during a period of widespread unrest in the Middle East, with the intent of keeping the broad framework of his policies intact after he leaves office in January.
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