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Listen: President Obama's Speech At MacDill AFB

Photo courtesy Bay News 9
President Obama addresses troops at MacDill Air Force Base

President Barack Obama says the fight he's led against the Islamic State group has been relentless, sustainable and multilateral. He says it demonstrates a shift in how the U.S. takes on terrorists around the world.

Obama spoke at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, home to U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command. It's Obama's last major national security speech before leaving office.

Obama defended a counterterrorism strategy that has relied on U.S. special forces and local groups rather than large-scale U.S. ground forces. He says the U.S. built a "network of partners" to help fight extremists. Obama says the U.S. is "breaking the back" of IS.

Obama notes that he is poised to become the first president to serve two full terms at war.

A full transcript of the president's speech is available here.
 

Credit Bobbie O'Brien / WUSF News
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WUSF News
President Obama speaks at MacDill AFB

Steve Newborn is a WUSF reporter and producer at WUSF covering environmental issues and politics in the Tampa Bay area.
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