United States National Security Policy towards the Panama Canal in an Era of Great Power Conflict
Abstract
The Panama Canal, an asset historically under U.S. protection, is easily threatened by enterprising adversaries. A closure event of the Canal would have significant economic and strategic implications for the United States in a great power conflict (GPC) war, principally with China. Since 2017, the United States has sought to realign its National Defense Strategy toward a GPC, broadening the active focus of the U.S. defense strategy and reexamining U.S. policies toward its traditional backyard in Latin America, specifically the Panama Canal. The purpose of this thesis was to determine whether current U.S. national defense policies toward the Panama Canal have adequately prepared the U.S. military to cope with GPC adversaries in this new security landscape. This thesis endeavored to answer the following questions: What are the military and economic repercussions of a closure event for the United States? What is the likelihood of an attack on the Canal? What do China's current actions foretell concerning its current strategy toward the Panama Canal? Finally, what security policies can the United States undertake to ensure Canal viability in a potential GPC war?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1173484
Entities
People
- Nathaniel J. Swank
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School