American Democratic senators from the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations called on US President Donald Trump to stop the recall of nearly 30 career ambassadors from around the world, warning that the move could jeopardize US national security, UNN reports with reference to the Financial Times.
Details
Senators said the decision to recall dozens of veteran diplomats "risks leaving a vacuum that Russia and China will quickly fill."
Prior to the latest decision, according to the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), which represents the interests of American diplomats, 80 ambassadorial positions remained vacant.
In a letter released on Wednesday, committee Democrats warned that the recall would leave more than half of US missions worldwide without an ambassador.
"Amidst over 100 US embassies lacking top leadership awaiting a new US ambassador, China, Russia, and others will maintain regular communication with foreign leaders whom we will effectively abandon, allowing our adversaries to expand their influence to limit and even harm US interests," they wrote.
All ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president and can be removed at any time, although career diplomats typically remain in their posts across different administrations, the publication notes.
In their letter, the senators described the scale of the recall as "unprecedented."
AFSA said the diplomats affected by the decision were notified by phone, and no explanation was provided.
"This method is highly unusual," the union said. "Career diplomats and ambassadors are not typically recalled in this manner. The lack of transparency and process sharply contradicts established norms."
A senior US State Department official called the move "a standard process" in any administration.
"It is the president's right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who are advancing the 'America First' agenda," the official added.
The US State Department has not released a list of the embassies affected by the move, but they are expected to be worldwide, including in the Indo-Pacific, Africa, and Europe.
"In the Indo-Pacific, this broad recall signals America's disengagement from a region home to half the world's population, nearly two-thirds of its economy, and numerous potential security crises," the senators wrote.
"Across Africa, this decision gives Moscow and Beijing an open invitation to advance their economic and security interests on the world's fastest-growing continent," the letter said.
Addition
The recall followed the dismissal of more than 1,300 US State Department officials in July as part of a broad effort to reorganize the agency in line with Trump's priorities.