The United States President, Donald Trump, is set to close nearly 30 embassies and consulates around the world, with several of the closures affecting missions in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
According to an internal State Department document, the outlines plans to shut down 10 embassies and 17 consulates.
Embassies in Lesotho, South Sudan, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Malta, and Luxembourg are among those proposed for closure.
The consulates affected include those in France, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and South Africa, CNN reports.
This restructuring is part of a wider initiative led by the Elon Musk-backed Department of Government Efficiency, which seeks to reduce the size of the federal government.
The document suggests that the responsibilities of the closed missions would be absorbed by nearby embassies and consulates.
However, it remains unclear whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved the plan.
The proposed changes also involve scaling back diplomatic operations in Somalia and Iraq — two countries central to US counterterrorism efforts.
Meanwhile, missions in countries like Japan and Canada are recommended to adopt a consolidated consular model as examples for future diplomatic configurations.
State Department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, refused to confirm details of the document.
“I would suggest that you check with the White House and the President of the US as they continue to work on their budget plan and what they submit to congress,” Bruce stated.
“The kinds of numbers and what we tend to see is reporting that is early or wrong, based on leaked documents from somewhere unknown.”
The proposed closures affect missions that typically operate with smaller staff, yet remain crucial to American diplomatic operations.
These embassies and consulates provide key services, including visa processing, assistance to American citizens abroad, and intelligence gathering, all of which are vital for US foreign policy.
The document also proposes the introduction of “FLEX-style light footprint posts” with limited staff and focus, and suggests “dual-hatted leadership” for overlapping diplomatic missions, such as those representing the US at the OECD and UNESCO in Paris.
