US Southern Command has been given proposals that include collaborating with the Panamanian military – and potentially seizing the canal by force if they don’t co-operate
Donald Trump has allegedly ordered the US military to devise strategies for boosting troop numbers in Panama in order to “reclaim” the canal.
According to two officials who spoke to NBC News, US Southern Command, which oversees security cooperation and operations in Central America, has shared proposals that include collaborating with the Panamanian military – and potentially seizing the canal by force. The likelihood of using military force hinges on the degree of cooperation from the Panamanian military, it noted.
This initiative is seen as an effort by Washington to diminish China’s sway in the region, especially regarding access to the canal, despite both China and Panama refuting any external meddling in the waterway’s affairs. Last week, the US president declared, “to further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it”.
The exact implications of “reclaiming means” remain vague, but the officials revealed that Admiral Alvin Holsey, head of US Southern Command, forwarded preliminary plans to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth this week, in anticipation of his trip to Panama the following month.
They emphasized that military intervention in Panama would be a last resort, contingent on whether the country rejects Mr Trump’s efforts to “reclaim” the canal, reports the Express. The Republican leader has criticized Panama for imposing what he considers “ridiculous” and “very unfair” tolls on American vessels passing through the canal.
At present, tolls for navigating the Panama Canal are calculated based on factors like vessel type and size, not to mention a fluctuating water surcharge. The president has lauded a move by an enterprise supported by American financial behemoth BlackRock, who has reached an agreement to acquire a dominating share of the ports straddling the canal from a company rooted in Hong Kong.
Despite this, Trump’s ongoing talks of wanting to “reclaim” the strategically crucial waterway have fallen on disapproving ears both in Panama and abroad. Panama’s leadership stands firm on the issue, with President Jose Raul Mulino recently reaffirming through a social media post that “the Panama Canal is not in the process of being reclaimed”.
It comes after Trump said “I think it will happen” when asked whether the US will take over Greenland. The US president told reporters in the White House that his country needs the Arctic territory, which is currently owned by Denmark, for “national security”.
He was sat next to NATO chief Mark Rutte, who declined to talk about the issue when he suggested he could help him acquire it.
Asked whether the US will be able to successfully acquire Greenland, Trump said: “Well I think it will happen, I’m just thinking, I didn’t give it much thought – but I’m sitting with a man who could be very instrumental”.