The U.S. diplomatic presence around the world is at an unprecedented low under President Donald Trump.
A new report from The Wall Street Journal points to an astonishing staffing crisis with 100 ambassadorial roles vacant at the time of writing.
There are 115 ambassador posts out of 195 currently empty, while 37 of the U.S.’s 51 African embassies are currently operating without an ambassador, and there is no top diplomat in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, or Iraq.
It comes despite the U.S. being locked into a historic conflict in the Middle East with Iran, which has spilled over into the wider region with missiles fired at key American allies, including those listed as without an ambassador.
Diplomacy in the region is a complex tinderbox, as the U.S. also seeks to end fighting between ally Israel and Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah, as well as Gaza-based Hamas.
There is also no full-time ambassador in either Ukraine or Russia, despite the war between the two nations now dragging on for more than four years, and hundreds of thousands of people feared to have been killed.
In April, U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Julie Davis quit her role in Kyiv just a year after Biden nominee Bridget Brink did the same thing.
Three people familiar with the Trump nominee’s departure told the Financial Times that Davis had become disheartened by Trump’s lack of support for the embattled nation.
Instead, Trump has often leaned on billionaire real estate mogul Steve Witkoff, his special envoy who is often referred to as the president’s golf buddy due to the pair’s history of playing together, to represent the U.S. to Kyiv and Moscow.
Trump officials, meanwhile, say that things are running smoothly and that trusted figures are in charge of managing relations with more than one country at a time, the Journal reports.
When there is no presidentially-nominated, Senate-approved ambassador in office, the top diplomatic responsibilities are assumed by a chargé d’affaires.
A December report from the American Foreign Service Association found that 86 percent of diplomats said the changes to the workplace since Trump returned to power had hindered their ability to ensure U.S. diplomatic priorities.
It also found that 98 percent reported poor morale, and nearly a third were considering leaving the service.
That month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio recalled 30 longtime career ambassadors, while Trump has been slow to nominate more, and those tapped have been caught up in the lengthy Senate review process.
At the time, a senior State Department official told CNN Rubio’s recall was “a standard process in any administration.”
“An ambassador is a personal representative of the president, and it is the president’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda,” they said.
The Journal reports that in 2015, just 12 of 185 embassies lacked a top diplomat, rising to 45 of 188 three years later, in 2018, during Trump’s first term.
Foreign officials in allied countries have also reportedly been frustrated by the vacancies, saying it makes it harder for them to get a direct line to the White House.
The Daily Beast has contacted the State Department for comment.
