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.

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

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.

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.

Panama's leader has been pushing back hard on President Trump's insistence on "reclaiming" the Panama Canal for the United States, going so far as to accuse him of lying, but that hasn't stopped Trump from moving forward with his ultimate plans for the Central American waterway.

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.

Panama's leader accused President Trump of lying in his Tuesday congressional address, where he said his administration was "reclaiming" the Panama Canal.

A new report claims that President Donald Trump has given the U.S. military orders to come up with options to reclaim the Panama Canal.