A White House official says Obama will also address other counterterrorism policies, including stalled efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
Obama pledged in his State of the Union address earlier this year to make the secret drone program more "transparent" to the public. The official says Obama was ready to deliver Thursday's speech last month, but it was postponed amid hunger strike protests at Guantanamo and other controversies that have consumed the White House.
The official was authorised to speak about the speech only on background because Obama has yet to deliver it. The speech plans were first reported by The Washington Post.