President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to prepare plans for carrying out his threat to "take back" the Panama Canal, including by military force if needed, two U.S. officials familiar with the situation told NBC News Thursday.

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.

President Donald Trump has instructed the US military to prepare plans to seize the Panama Canal in his bid to “reclaim” the waterway. Reuters reports that the US Southern Command has developed an array of potential plans to ensure that America has full access to the Panama Canal.

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.

Donald Trump has said repeatedly that he wants to “take back” the Panama Canal but has not offered specifics about how he would do so. Here is an explanation of the history and laws governing the critical waterway.

The U.S. government has ordered the military to prepare plans for increasing its presence in Panama. This decision is part of a broader effort to secure control over the Panama Canal, one of the most important waterways in global trade.

President Donald Trump reportedly instructed the U.S. military to draw up plans to increase U.S. troop presence in the Panama