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America is 鈥渁t a crossroads鈥� in its fight against terrorism, President Obama declared Thursday, as he announced new guidelines narrowing the use of drones to target terror suspects, and renewed his effort to close the US detention center at Guant谩namo Bay, Cuba.

Beyond Afghanistan, where the US combat mission is winding down, 鈥渨e must define our effort not as a boundless 鈥榞lobal war on terror鈥� 鈥� but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America,鈥� Mr. Obama said in a major address at the National Defense University in Washington.

鈥淣ow make no mistake: Our nation is still threatened by terrorists,鈥� the president continued. 鈥淔rom Benghazi to Boston, we have been tragically reminded of that truth. But we recognize that the threat has shifted and evolved from the one that came to our shores on 9/11.鈥�

Obama announced that on Wednesday, he signed a Presidential Policy Guidance that constrains the use of unmanned drone aircraft in countries that are not theaters of war. Beyond the Afghan theater, he said, the US only targets Al Qaeda and its associated forces. But even there, the use of drones is curtailed: The US must seek to capture a suspect when it has that ability.

In addition, 鈥淎merica cannot take strikes wherever we choose 鈥� our actions are bound by consultations with partners, and respect for state sovereignty,鈥� Obama said. 鈥淎merica does not take strikes to punish individuals 鈥� we act against terrorists who pose a continuing and imminent threat to the American people, and when there are no other governments capable of effectively addressing the threat.鈥�

There must also be 鈥渘ear-certainty鈥� that no civilians will be killed or injured.

Critics of US policy say the new guidance is still too vague.

鈥淭he聽policy standard聽he聽outlined for the targeting of individuals, requiring聽imminence and聽feasibility of capture, while narrower than聽prior asserted standards, also聽raised聽questions about how聽those standards would be interpreted,鈥� the Center for Constitutional Rights said in a statement. 鈥淧rior Justice Department interpretations, for example, that聽imminence does not require clear evidence of a specific act in the immediate future, do not engender confidence.鈥�

Acknowledging the controversy surrounding the US practice of targeted killings, Obama defended himself against the idea that conventional war would have been preferable.

鈥淚t is false to assert that putting boots on the ground is less likely to result in civilian deaths, or less likely to create enemies in the Muslim world,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he results would be more US deaths, more Blackhawks down, more confrontations with local populations, and an inevitable mission creep in support of such raids that could easily escalate into new wars.鈥�

The US program of targeted killings abroad has not been a major political liability for Obama among Americans. A Gallup poll in March found that 65 percent of Americans support the use of drone attacks abroad on suspected terrorists. But only 41 percent support the program when the suspected terrorists on foreign soil are US citizens. On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder revealed that four US citizens have been killed abroad by drones, though only one of them, Anwar al-Awlaki, was specifically targeted. Support for the use of drones in the US against suspected terrorists is even lower 鈥� 25 percent overall, and only 13 percent if the suspect is a US citizen.

In his speech, Obama returned to the issue of the US prison camp at Guant谩namo Bay, which still houses 166 detainees, 103 of whom are on a hunger strike. In his first presidential campaign, Obama pledged to close the detention center, also known as Gitmo, but has been constrained by several factors, including Congress.

On Thursday, Obama called on Congress to lift the restrictions on detainee transfers from Gitmo, and announced he is appointing a new, senior envoy at the departments of State and Defense whose sole job is to transfer detainees to third countries. The president also lifted the moratorium on detainee transfers to Yemen, so that they can be reviewed case by case.

鈥淲here appropriate, we will bring terrorists to justice in our courts and our military justice system,鈥� Obama said. 鈥淎nd we will insist that judicial review be available for every detainee.鈥�

Some detainees cannot be prosecuted, because the evidence against them has been compromised or is inadmissible in a court of law, he said. But he expressed confidence that this 鈥渓egacy problem鈥� can be resolved.