President Obama will make a rare visit to the Pentagon Monday afternoon to meet with his national security team on efforts to fight Islamic State militants in the Middle East.

White House officials said Obama will update the press and public on the mission following his meetings. The Pentagon visit comes a day before Defense Secretary Ash Carter is scheduled to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on progress and problems in the region, and at a time when the president's strategy has come under increased criticism on Capitol Hill.

On Saturday, during a visit to Kabul, committee chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the failure of the Obama administration's failure to contain the Islamic State not only shows fundamental flaws in the president's foreign policy but also should force a reassessment into whether U.S. forces are being withdrawn from Afghanistan too quickly.

Less than a month ago, the White House announced plans to send an additional 450 U.S. troops to Iraq, in an effort to help support local forces fighting the militants.

The move brought the total number of U.S. forces service members committed to the region to 3,500.

Carter defended the move before the House Armed Services Committee last month as a way to open additional training sites in new regions of the country, bringing in more recruits of varied religious backgrounds.

But House conservatives remained skeptical of the move, calling it too incremental and unfocused to sway the fight.

Obama's post-meeting remarks are expected to come in the late afternoon.

Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.

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