The administration of President Donald Trump has officially requested "reliable military options" from Pentagon officials to ensure the US has unfettered access to the Panama Canal. This request is contained in a Memorandum addressed to the country's top leadership titled "Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance," which represents a fundamental revision of strategic priorities, reports CNN, which reviewed the document.
One of the directives of the memorandum, which the Pentagon must carry out "immediately," instructs to "provide reliable military options to ensure fair and unfettered military and commercial access for the US to the Panama Canal." President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that the US should reclaim the canal, particularly during his recent address to Congress, but now his administration has officially requested potential military options for this, according to a memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. However, a day after Trump's speech, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino accused Trump of lying in his address to Congress, stating that the US had begun to reclaim the Panama Canal. He wrote on the social network X that in none of his conversations with American officials was the return of the canal to the US mentioned.
The memorandum also states that the "main priority" of the US armed forces is "homeland defense," and the Pentagon is tasked with "repelling any forms of invasion, including illegal mass migration, drug trafficking, smuggling, and human trafficking."
The interim guidance contained in the memorandum also signals a clear intention to reduce the US military presence in Europe and limit aid to Ukraine. "Americans need allies, not dependents," wrote Hegseth. At the same time, he calls to "provide military assistance" to Israel and "continue to arm partners in the Persian Gulf" as part of a strategy to strengthen deterrence in the region.