Donald Trump 'orders US military to draw up plans to seize Panama Canal' by force
US officials have claimed that the US military has been asked to draw up plans to boost troop numbers in Panama in order to "reclaim" the canal.
Donald Trump has reportedly instructed the US military to develop plans to increase troop presence in Panama with the aim of "reclaiming means" the canal. Two officials who spoke to NBC News revealed that the US Southern Command, responsible for security cooperation and operations in Central America, has proposed strategies that involve working with the Panamanian military - and potentially taking control of the canal by force.
The possibility of using military force depends on the level of cooperation from the Panamanian military, they added. This move is perceived as an attempt by Washington to counter China's influence in the region, particularly concerning access to the canal, despite both China and Panama denying any foreign interference in the waterway's affairs.
Last week, the US president announced, "to further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we've already started doing it".
The exact meaning of "reclaiming means" remains unclear, but the officials disclosed that Admiral Alvin Holsey, head of US Southern Command, submitted preliminary plans to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth this week, ahead of his upcoming visit to Panama next month.
They've made it clear that sending troops into Panama is absolutely the last straw, and that's only if Panama thumbs its nose at Trump's attempts to snatch back the canal, as per the Express. The GOP bigwig has been laying into Panama for slapping what he deems "ridiculous" and "very unfair" charges on US ships cruising through the canal.
Right now, the cost of going through the Panama Canal are worked out based on make and size of ship, plus there's this variable water charge added. Trump has been lauding a possible deal by a firm backed by the US financial titan BlackRock, which has bagged a hefty slice of the ports on either side of the canal from a Hong Kong-based outfit, reports the Mirror.
But Trump's chatter about wanting to grab back the waterway hasn't exactly been music to the ears of folks in Panama or elsewhere. Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino has hit back on social media, making it crystal clear that "the Panama Canal is not in the process of being reclaimed".
This all comes hot on the heels of Trump's "I think it will happen" comment to journos at the White House when quizzed about the US taking over Greenland. He reckons the States needs the icy landmass, currently under Denmark's wing, for "national security" reasons.
Chilling next to NATO honcho Mark Rutte, Trump dropped the hint that maybe he could lend a hand with the Greenland grab, but Rutte wasn't biting and kept schtum on the subject.
Quizzed on whether the US has a shot at snapping up Greenland, Trump confidently replied: "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".
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.