According to an internal State Department memo that CNN was able to get, the Trump administration is considering dismantling around 30 embassies and consulates abroad as part of major changes to its diplomatic presence worldwide.
The report also suggests “resizing” additional diplomatic outposts and lowering the presence at US diplomatic missions in Somalia and Iraq, two nations that have been crucial to US counterterrorism initiatives.
As the Trump administration, led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, undertakes drastic attempts to reduce the size of the federal government, the suggested reforms coincide with a larger anticipated revamp of the US diplomatic service. Whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved the proposed closures is unknown.
The report suggests closing 17 consulates and 10 embassies. While there are positions in Asia and the Caribbean, the majority are in Europe and Africa. Embassies in South Sudan, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Lesotho, Malta, and Luxembourg are among them. Two consulates in Germany, two in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one in the United Kingdom, one in South Africa, one in South Korea, and five in France are also on the list.
The report suggests that outposts in nearby nations take on the responsibilities of the defunct embassies.
Regarding the confidential memo and the intentions to significantly reduce the State Department, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment.
Bruce said, “As they continue to work on their budget plan and what they submit to Congress, I would suggest that you check with the White House and the President of the United States.” “The types of figures and reporting that we frequently see are based on leaked documents from an unidentified source and are either inaccurate or premature.”
Only Malta and Luxembourg, two of the embassies that were suggested to be closed, have ambassadorial nominations declared by the government.
The State Department was preparing to shutter several of the consulates named on the secret memo, according to a March CNN article.
For the State Department, embassies and consulates are crucial outposts. They help American people in need and process visas, among other things. Officials say the posts are a crucial diplomatic tool as the US looks to counter countries like China. They also gather information to send back to Washington, DC. The majority of consulates have a small staff.
Posts were assessed based on input from regional bureaus and the interagency, consular workload, cost per USDH (US direct hire) billet, facility condition, and security ratings, according to the document, which claims to be the State Department’s undersecretary for management’s closure recommendations.
The US missions in Canada and Japan “could serve as a model large mission by consolidating consulate support into a specialized unit” in larger postings, according to the study, which supports the suggested “resizing.”
It suggests “dual-hatted leadership” in multi-mission offices like the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and UNESCO in Paris, as well as “FLEX-style light footprint posts with limited focus and staffing” in several nations.
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