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.

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.

The first speech of Trump’s second term in office, while not officially a State of the Union address, is a chance for the president to lay out legislative priorities and tout early achievements.