President Obama pledged Tuesday to step up assistance to France and other allies fighting the Islamic State, but stopped short of endorsing a French proposal for a new grand coalition that would include Russia.
Hollande's efforts to  form a new coalition still faces challenges as the United States continues to question Russian activity in Syria and opposes the idea of deploying U.S. ground troops to combat the militant group in Syria and Iraq.
The increased assistance includes more coordination of air strikes, more and better intelligence sharing, and improved screening of passengers at airports, Obama said in a lengthy opening statement.
Obama said the United States has an existing coalition of more than 60 nations that have rolled back Islamic State positions in Syria and Iraq, and are hurting its ability to wage terrorist attacks.