U.S. President Barack Obama promised to reveal his country's "game plan" going forward in the fight against the Islamic State that has been sowing terror in the Middle East and has executed two Americans within the last few weeks.

Interviewed on NBC's "Meet the Press," President Obama says he is confident that the U.S., with the help of partners in the region, will be able to wipe out the terrorist organization, without having to commit additional ground troops in Iraq and in Syria.

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He said the game plan will include military, diplomatic and economic components that will follow on the actions already taken against Islamic State militants, citing the airstrikes launched for protecting cities and critical infrastructure in Iraq, and increased intelligence-gathering on the enemy.

"The next phase is now to start going on the offensive," Obama said. He also stressed the importance of getting a strong Iraqi government in place, and that he is optimistic this can be attained by next week.

The president also clarified he won't be announcing the deployment of more American "boots on the ground" during his speech on Wednesday, although U.S. forces will continue to work with Iraqi and Kurdish troops already fighting the IS in Iraq.

"We're not looking at sending 100,000 American troops," Obama promised.

On Friday in Wales, Obama said a new NATO-directed coalition could reach out to rebel factions in Syria and tap them as possible proxy fighters to battle IS militants.

The president's statements were a sharp departure from the assessment he gave of the anti-IS policy nearly two weeks ago, when he said the U.S. didn't have a strategy yet against the terrorist organization.

Congress returns in session this week after a five-week break, and Obama said he will meet with its members on Tuesday to lay out the administration's policy against the IS.

But when asked if he was seeking congressional approval of his game plan, he said he is "confident that I've got the authorization that I need to protect the American people."

Obama maintains that IS is not an immediate threat to the U.S., but over time it could become a serious threat to the homeland if it is able to continue to expand and amass arms and fighter, especially Western fighters. 

TagsBarack Obama, meet the press