Pentagon chief says US could 'revive' Panama bases
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Pete Hegseth proposed reintroducing US military bases in Panama to secure the strategically important canal, but the idea was swiftly rejected by Panama's government.
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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press conference in Panama City on April 9, 2025. (AP)
On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth raised the notion of sending US troops back to Panama to "secure" the country's strategically important canal, a move promptly rejected by the administration.
During a visit to Panama, Hegseth proposed that "by invitation," the United States may "revive" military sites or naval air stations and cycle soldier deployments to an isthmus that the US occupied 35 years ago.
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has often argued that China wields too much authority over the canal, which carries around 40% of US container traffic and 5% of global commerce.
His government has promised to "take back" management of the interoceanic canal, which the United States funded, constructed, and managed until 1999.
Hegseth proposed on Wednesday that the swarm of old US military stations scattered around Panama should be repurposed to house US troops.
He described a contract reached with Panama this week as an "opportunity to revive, whether it's the military base, naval air station, or locations where US troops can work with Panamanian troops to enhance capabilities and cooperate in a rotational way."
Hegseth mentioned the prospect of "joint exercises," but the idea of a "rotational" force will irritate Panamanians, who regard sole possession of the canal as a source of great national pride.
However, a longer-term rotating presence, such as the one the US keeps in Darwin, Australia, is politically poisonous to Panama's leader, Jose Raul Mulino.
His government swiftly rejected the notion and Panama security minister Frank Abrego during a joint public appearance with Hegseth expressed how the country "made it clear, through President (Jose Raul) Mulino, that we cannot accept military bases or defense sites."
