The move would see a departure from former President Barack Obama’s military strategy in the Middle East, which relied on local forces in Syria and Iraq to lead the fight against the barbaric terror group.
Trump said the strategy would be “very successful” as he signed an executive order to launch the new approach.
According to a senior administration official, the order would ask joint chiefs of staff to submit a plan to defeat ISIS within 30 days – fulfilling one of the cornerstones of the President’s campaign pledges.
Trump made destroying the militant group a key pledge in the run up to his historic election victory.
But up to now, the Republican billionaire has refused to discuss any specifics of a possible military strategy – arguing that to do so would be tactically unwise.
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The President called for new tactics to defeat the militants on Saturday.
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The President made defeating ISIS a key campaign pledge last year.
The dramatic shift in military policy would risk broad repercussions for US relations with Middle Eastern countries, already strained by Obama’s efforts to limit US military involvement in Iraq and Syria.
Trump’s defence secretary James Mattis has advocated a more forceful approach against ISIS, but how such an approach might look remains unclear.
US military officials have long acknowledged ISIS could be defeated more quickly by using the country’s own forces, rather than local fighters, on the battlefield.
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Trump has so far kept specific plans under wraps.
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Trump speaks briefly to reporters as he arrives aboard Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews
However, putting troops on the ground is likely to lead to the loss of more US lives and questions have been raised over whether this tactic would result in a lasting solution to Middle Eastern conflict.
David Barno, a retired lieutenant general who once led US forces in Afghanistan, claimed that deploying US troops into direct combat in the Middle East would be a major escalation of US foreign policy.
He said: “We’ve been down that road, and I don’t think the American people are excited about the idea.
“I do think the Pentagon will argue for, and get a lot more authority, to put advisers and special operators closer to the fight.”
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