The U.S. military must work to provide options to ensure the United States has full access to the Panama Canal, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday.

The U.S. government has ordered the military to prepare plans for increasing its presence in Panama. This decision is part of a broader effort to secure control over the Panama Canal, one of the most important waterways in global trade.

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.