The current round of removals follows an earlier purge of political appointees and targets career diplomats who served under the Biden administration, signaling a broader reshuffle of U.S. postings.

Ambassadors who began their posts under Biden are affected and will return to Washington for new assignments rather than losing their foreign service roles, with many tenures ending in January.

Officials describe the moves as a routine, policy-aligned reallocation rather than a mass loss of employment, part of aligning diplomatic posts with the administration’s agenda.

In Asia, the changes touch six countries: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Politico first reported the ambassadorial recalls, drawing concerns from some lawmakers and the foreign-service union about the removals.

State Department officials frame the removals as a standard administration practice, with ambassadors serving at the president’s pleasure and to advance the administration’s priorities.

Officials said chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries will end their tenures in January and return to Washington for other assignments if they wish.

The broader reshuffle is tied to advancing an America First posture, with nearly 30 career diplomats recalled from ambassadorial and senior posts, and tenures ending in January.

Across regions, Africa accounts for the largest set of removals, followed by Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South/Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere, with Africa specifically listing 13 affected ambassadors.

The affected postings span a wide geographic mix, including African nations such as Burundi, Cameroon, and Nigeria; plus Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere.