At the direction of Donald Trump’s White House, the U.S. Southern Command is developing potential plans to strengthen U.S. military presence around the Panama Canal, according to CNBC.

The plans vary from partnering more closely with the Panamanian military to the less likely option of U.S. troops seizing the Panama Canal by force, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the planning. Whether military force is used, the officials added, depends on how much the Panamanian military agrees to partner with the U.S. 

The U.S. officials told NBC News that the commander of U.S. Southern Command, Adm. Alvin Holsey, had presented draft strategies to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who is expected to visit Panama next month.

During a joint address to Congress March 4, Trump said, “to further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal.” 

The wrangle over the Canal started before Trump even took office, as a campaign promise, and has persisted since. On March 4 Trump told lawmakers in Washington that Panama had broken the agreements it made when it took over the waterway a quarter-century ago. On the same day, Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino rejected the claim as a lie, and repeated the message that his government will not negotiate the return of the canal to U.S. control.

Also on March 4, it was announced that two U.S. investment firms would buy from CK Hutchison Holdings, the Hong Kong-based logistics group, a 90% stake in Panama Ports, which owns and operates the ports of Balboa and Cristobal in Panama, at either end of the Panama Canal. The sale prompted speculation that Panama had acquiesced to U.S. demands to curtail Chinese influence regarding the canal.