outlining a picture of u.s. troops in afghanistan. 10,000 will remain there into next year. he heads to west point where he's set to explain the u.s. role in the world going forwards. this is a critical speech, at a time the foreign policy plans have come under close scrutiny. >> reporter: john and christine, president obama will answer people in a speech after more an a decade at war in iraq and afghanistan. now is the time for the u.s. to redefine his leadership in the world. for the u.s. to intervene but not act unilaterally. in recent weeks, the president came under criticism over the civil war in syria and the crisis in ukraine. the u.s. has greater flexibility to tackle global challenges with the war in afghanistan winding down. the president laid out the plans to reduce troop levels in