The Trump administration has moved to recall nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and senior embassy positions worldwide, including the United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, as part of a broader effort to realign U.S. diplomacy with President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy agenda.
According to two U.S. State Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity, chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their tenures would end in January. All affected diplomats were appointed during the Biden administration and had initially remained in their posts following President Trump’s return to office, surviving earlier personnel changes that primarily targeted political appointees.
That situation shifted last Wednesday when diplomats began receiving formal notifications from Washington regarding their imminent recall. While ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president, they typically remain in their postings for three to four years.
Officials emphasized that the recalled diplomats are not being dismissed from the Foreign Service. Instead, they will be reassigned to positions in Washington should they choose to continue their careers.
The State Department declined to comment on the exact number of diplomats affected but defended the move as standard practice. In a statement, it noted that ambassadors act as personal representatives of the president, and it is within the president’s authority to ensure that those serving abroad advance his policy priorities.
Africa is the region most affected, with ambassadors recalled from 13 countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, and Mauritius.
In Asia, six countries are impacted: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Four European nations—Armenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovakia—are also affected, along with Algeria and Egypt in the Middle East.
In South and Central Asia, ambassadors to Nepal and Sri Lanka are being recalled, while Guatemala and Suriname are affected in the Western Hemisphere.
The shake-up signals a renewed effort by the Trump administration to ensure that U.S. diplomatic missions abroad align closely with its strategic and ideological priorities
.Source: The Associated Press