Speaking at a military base in Florida, President Obama contradicted Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey, who left open some possibility of the involvement of ground forces in congressional testimony.
"I want to be clear. The American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission. They will support Iraqi forces on the ground, and they fight for their own country against these terrorists," he said.
The Obama administration is under pressure to act against Islamic State, which now controls a large section of Iraq and Syria, but the President also acted to assuage the military, and a war-weary American public.
"As your commander-in-chief I will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq," he said.
"After a decade of massive ground deployments, it is more effective to use our unique capabilities in support of partners on the ground."
As the President spoke in Florida, politicians in Washington formally gave their authority to train and arm certain Syrian rebels who are fighting against Islamic State, whilst Secretary of State John Kerry appeared in front of congress to support the President's strategy.
"I've also no doubt whatsoever that we will have the capabilities and the resources we need to succeed militarily. But this is not the Gulf war in 1991; it is not the Iraq war in 2003," Mr Kerry told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
US forces have already performed about 1,600 air strikes directed at Islamic State, and the administration has enlisted the help of over 40 countries, including Australia, to assist in the fight.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said Australia's effort will not just involve the 600 personnel pledged in response to an American request.
"This is a multi-pronged approach to combat Islamic State and its ilk. And it will involve starving Islamic State of funds, so it can't fund its terrorist activities" Ms Bishop said.
The government's decision has bipartisan support for now, although Labor Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tanya Plibersek has stressed Labor's support is not open-ended, and that Prime Minister Tony Abbott should front parliament to update the Australian people on the progress of the deployment.
Mr Abbott will today cut short his visit to remote indigenous communities in the Northern Territory to farewell Australian personnel being deployed to the Middle East
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