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.

NBC News' Courtney Kube reports on the Trump administration directing the U.S. military to begin developing options for the Panama Canal, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

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.

US officials said military action in Panama would only be considered if the country does not allow Donald Trump to "reclaim" the canal.