US Military presented with potential strategies to secure US access to Panama Canal, according to memo.
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President Trump's executive branch has requested "solid military options" from the Pentagon to secure American access to the Panama Canal. This directive is part of a significant strategy overhaul within the US military, according to a confidential memo reviewed by CNN.
In a speech before Congress, Trump expressed the need to reclaim the canal, and now, the Defense Department is formally seeking military options to achieve this objective, as revealed in a memo from Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
Among the immediate directives defense officials have been instructed to execute is: "Provide viable military options to ensure fair and unhindered access for the U.S. military and commercial vessels to the Panama Canal," the memo states.
Titled "Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance," the memo showcases a marked departure from the previous Pentagon priorities, as stated in the 2022 National Defense Strategy, and aligns with Trump's declared objectives like utilizing military resources along the U.S. border, strengthening the American presence in the Western Hemisphere, and primarily focusing on China.
CNN has reached out to the Pentagon for comment on the memo, while NBC was the first to report on the White House's request for military options concerning the Panama Canal.
The memo emphasizes that the U.S. military's primary goal is to safeguard the homeland. It also instructs the Pentagon to "seal our borders, repel invasion attempts such as unlawful mass migration, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other criminal activities, and deport undocumented immigrants in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security," as detailed in the copy reviewed by CNN.
Trump has previously expressed his intent to divert the military's attention to border operations, and this guidance drafted for senior Pentagon officials cements that ambition as the new administration's highest priority.
The military's consideration of options ensuring "unfettered" access to the Panama Canal may spur questions and concerns. As recently as last week, Panama's President José Raul Mujico Accused Trump of misleading the public during his speech in Congress by suggesting that the U.S. was in the process of reclaiming the Panama Canal.
Trump's remarks follow the announcement made by BlackRock and a consortium of investors concerning their joint acquisition of two ports at either end of the canal from a Hong Kong-based firm. Despite Trump's claims, the canal itself has been operated by Panama and not China since its handover in 1999.
The DoD memo's mention of military options resonates with the broader theme of a comprehensive document intended to reinforce Trump's previously expressed objectives.
A Shift in European Presence:
The interim guidance in the memo points to a clear objective of decreasing the U.S. military presence in Europe and limiting assistance to Ukraine.
Hegseth expressed the desire for European allies to become less dependent on the U.S., calling for NATO allies to spend at least 5% of their GDP on defense. As of now, only Poland spends more than 4%, while the U.S. spends less than 3.5% of its GDP on defense.
He also urged NATO to take over "Europe's conventional defense" by leading arms provision to Ukraine, with the U.S. only pledging extended nuclear deterrence and conventional forces that are not required domestrically or in the Indo-Pacific region. The language echoes parts of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, advocating for reliance on the U.S. primarily for nuclear deterrence while reducing our force posture in Europe.
Some of Trump's closest allies, including Senior Advisor Elon Musk, have advocated for abandoning NATO altogether. Over the weekend, Musk expressed his support for the U.S. leaving NATO, stating on social media that such a move "doesn't make sense for America to pay for the defense of Europe."
However, this call for burden-sharing and less reliance on the U.S. does not extend to Israel and Sunni Arab states, some of whom have forged personal relationships with Trump, such as Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The guidance calls for increased military aid to Israel and continued arms provision to Arabian Gulf partners as part of a regional deterrence strategy. The guidance also advocates for increased military cooperation between Israel and Sunni Gulf states, although such cooperation is often kept under wraps due to diplomatic sensitivities.
The joint defense of Israel against an Iranian missile attack last April demonstrates the practicality of this cooperation. The Trump administration is also pushing for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, having already facilitated normalization between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain.
- The interim defense strategic guidance suggests a strategic directive for the U.S. military in 2025, which includes the deployment of military options to secure American access to the Panama Canal, a move that could be perceived as a shift in international politics.
- As a part of the strategic overhaul within the US military, the Defense Department is exploring the possibility of deporting undocumented immigrants in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security, emphasizing the importance of border security and national defense.
- In line with Trump's declared objectives, the defense memo proposes a significant reduction in the U.S. military presence in Europe, advocating for European allies to become less dependent on the U.S. by increasing their defense spending and assuming responsibility for Europe's conventional defense.
