Potential plans range from partnering more closely with Panamanian security forces to a less likely option of U.S. troops' seizing the canal by force, U.S. officials told NBC News.

The U.S. military must work to provide options to ensure the United States has full access to the Panama Canal, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday.

Panama's government said Thursday it would remain "firm" in defending its sovereignty and the Panama Canal, after a report suggesting that US President Donald Trump is considering options aimed at

The sale this week of two Panamanian ports from a Chinese company to a U.S. consortium is a victory for President Donald Trump, but it only appears to have whet his appetite for more concessions from Panama’s government.

American access to the Panama Canal, one of several new directives outlined in what amounts to a major overhaul of US strategic priorities, according to a new memo that was sent to senior leaders and reviewed by CNN.

The White House has asked the United States military to draw up plans for how it might seize the Panama Canal “by force,” a bombshell report revealed Thursday. The alleged directive comes a week after President Donald Trump told lawmakers in his joint address to Congress he would be “reclaiming” the vital waterway to “further enhance our national security.