Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth left the United States on Monday for a visit to Panama City, Panama, to meet with regional leaders and troops in the area.

Hegseth will be visiting the 2025 Central American Security Conference to push President Donald Trump's foreign policy interests with Central American nations.

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell issued a statement saying, "The Secretary will meet with partner-nation senior civilian, military, and security leadership in a series of bilateral meetings that will drive ongoing efforts to strengthen our partnerships with Panama and other Central American nations toward our shared vision for a peaceful and secure Western Hemisphere."

The Central American Security Conference is co-hosted by the U.S. and Panama and is meant to boost joint operations and cybersecurity between the U.S. and other Central American nations.

Canal tensions

This year, all eyes will be on the U.S. and Panama amid talks that the Trump administration wants to take control of the Panama Canal nearly 50 years after the canal was given to Panama by former President Jimmy Carter.

An attachment of U.S. military assets is being deployed to Panama to train with Panamanian armed forces, but these assets could also be used to enforce American control of the canal.

According to the U.S. Southern Command, guided-missile cruisers USS Chosin and USS Normandy, as well as the Coast Guard Cutter Kimball, will be deployed to Panama to coincide with Hegseth's visit.

The Panama Canal is of key strategic interest for the U.S. for both economic and national security reasons. The canal was built by the United States in 1914 but eventually handed over to Panama in the 1970s.

While that arrangement worked for a time, growing concerns about Chinese influence looking to control the canal has prompted Trump to order talks with Panama that could ultimately result in the U.S. taking the canal back.

Ideally, the Trump administration will be able to conduct successful talks that bring Panama into alignment with U.S. interests. However, should talks fail, the Trump administration has floated the use of military force.

Countering China

Securing U.S. interests in the Panama Canal is a high priority for the Trump administration, and much of Hegseth's time in Central America will be spent tackling this issue.

During a speech to Congress, Trump explained, "To further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it. Just today, a large American company announced they are buying both ports around the Panama Canal and lots of other things having to do with the Panama Canal and a couple of other canals."

Trump continued by saying, "It was given away by the Carter administration for $1, but that agreement has been violated very severely. We didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back."

Giving away the Panama Canal was a massive mistake that further enshrines Carter's status as one of the worst presidents in American history. Trump is working hard to rectify that decades-old mistake.

While significant progress to counter China has been made, there is more work to do, especially amid grumblings from the Panamanian government, which has been defiant towards Trump.