Obama urges continued pursuit of 'smart strategy' in counterterrorism fight in final national security speech

At Florida's MacDill Air Force Base for his final national security speech, President Obama on Tuesday looked back at his administration's progress in the fight against terrorism and outlined the work that still needs to be done going forward. Acknowledging that the threat of terrorism "will endure," Obama emphasized the need to "pursue a smart strategy that can be sustained" — a remark CNN described as an "implicit message" to President-elect Donald Trump, who has suggested he will assume a more aggressive approach than Obama has.
Detailing the foreign policy successes of his administration, Obama advised against offering "false promises that we can eliminate terrorism by dropping more bombs" or taking up practices like torture and waterboarding that are not "true to our laws." Obama also stressed the need for America to remain steadfast in its leadership, and he warned against "the mistake" of elevating terrorists as if they "pose an existential threat to our nation."
“No foreign terrorist organization has planned and executed an attack on our homeland in the last eight years," Obama said. "And it is not because they didn't try."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Bluetoothing: the phenomenon driving HIV spike in Fiji
Under the Radar ‘Blood-swapping’ between drug users fuelling growing health crisis on Pacific island
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetime
Feature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’
Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
4 dead in shooting, arson attack in Michigan church
Speed Read A gunman drove a pickup truck into a Mormon church where he shot at congregants and then set the building on fire
-
2 kids killed in shooting at Catholic school mass
Speed Read 17 others were wounded during a morning mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murders
speed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bail
Speed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambush
Speed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrial
Speed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside home
speed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confession
speed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'