President Barack Obama will be speaking on new counterterrorism policies and developing steps to close the doors at the terrorism prison in Guatanamo Bay, Cuba on Thursday.
The speech comes as America learned that four Americans were killed in Drone Strikes in Pakistan and Yemen.
The speech, reported to take place at National Defense University in Washington, D.C. will be laying "out the framework for U.S. counterterrorism strategy as we wind down the war in Afghanistan, and as he look forward to the rest of his second term."
He will also be telling Americans about the ways in which terror threats have changed since the attacks of September 11, 2001, as the public is still coming to terms with the recent attacks in Boston earlier this year and the brutal London beheading that took place on Wednesday.
The White House is now referring to the threats from terror groups, including al-Qaeda, the acts of "localized extremist groups and homegrown terrorists," USA Today reported.
Understood to be a key facet to the U.S.'s developing position on counterterrorism efforts moving forward, the Obama administration has come under fire for its "overuse" of the program and plans on defending its actions, as well as outline ways that will ensure the safety of every American.
The White House said Wednesday this speech will reinforce a new "presidential policy guidance" in regard to using drones in the future.
Another topic to be touched one is something that the president has mulled over since his 2008 election: the closing of Gitmo.
Many Americans are hoping that the speech will define a scheme to move detainees from Gitmo to other areas around the world. "The international perceptions are so wildly at odds with basic facts, he could do some big damage limitations," says Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at Brooking Institution.
"Our American political debate obscures the fact because we're so insistent on criticizing each other on partisan lines," he said. "There's still going to be detainees left [at Guantanamo], she he shouldn't ignore their fate in his speech."
Watch the live stream of President Obama's speech at 2 p.m. here.
