WASHINGTON — The Donald Trump administration has begun recalling a large group of senior U.S. diplomats from foreign postings, a move that former officials say marks an extraordinary break from long-standing diplomatic norms.
According to people familiar with the decision, more than two dozen career ambassadors have been told they must vacate their overseas assignments by mid-January. Although many of them were nominated during the previous administration, they are veteran Foreign Service officers who have spent decades serving under presidents from both political parties.
Traditionally, career ambassadors remain in their posts until replacements are confirmed by the Senate. Former diplomats say that practice is now being abandoned on a scale they have never seen before.
White House Defends Move as Presidential Prerogative
A senior State Department official described the recalls as routine, stressing that ambassadors serve as personal representatives of the president and must advance the administration’s “America First” priorities. The official declined to disclose how many diplomats are affected or which countries are involved. The development was first reported by Politico.
But former diplomats strongly dispute the characterization.
“This has never happened in the 101-year history of the U.S. Foreign Service,” said Eric Rubin, a retired ambassador and former leader of the American Foreign Service Association. Rubin warned that the recalls could leave more than half of U.S. embassies worldwide without confirmed ambassadors, calling it a strategic setback that benefits rival powers like China.
Experience Drain at the State Department
While the diplomats are not being formally dismissed, Foreign Service rules give them only a short window to secure new assignments. If they fail to do so, many would be forced into retirement — potentially stripping the State Department of some of its most seasoned professionals.
AFSA said it has received reports from diplomatic posts across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere that career ambassadors were instructed to leave their positions by January 15 or 16, often without explanation.
“To remove senior diplomats without cause sends a deeply troubling signal,” the organization said, warning that allies may view U.S. commitments as unstable and politically driven.
Part of a Wider Reshaping Effort
The ambassador recalls come amid a sweeping reorganization of the State Department under Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Earlier this year, more than 1,300 employees at headquarters, including hundreds of foreign service officers, lost their jobs as the administration reoriented the department toward Trump’s core policy goals.
Those changes have placed greater emphasis on immigration control and national interest messaging, while scaling back focus on democracy promotion and human rights.
An internal AFSA survey released this month paints a grim picture: 98% of respondents said morale has fallen, nearly one-third are considering early departure, and about one-quarter of the foreign service workforce has already resigned, retired, or been removed since January.
Rubio has rejected claims of dysfunction, arguing that diplomats now have more influence at the regional level and that the reforms will strengthen U.S. diplomacy over time.
Still, critics warn that sidelining experienced ambassadors could weaken American influence abroad at a moment of intense global competition — and leave critical diplomatic posts vacant for months.