US STATE DEPARTMENT PLANS TO CLOSE FIVE FOREIGN MISSIONS

The US State Department has notified Congress of plans to close five foreign missions, according to people familiar with the notice sent to congressional committees. The closures affect posts in St George's in Grenada; Nagoya in Japan; Medan in Indonesia; Douala in Cameroon; and Winnipeg in Canada. The State Department has not publicly confirmed the closures but stated it was focused on ensuring America's diplomatic footprint remained efficient. The expected closures represent a rare downsizing of US diplomatic presence not tied to a specific geopolitical event.

The announcement comes as the Trump administration continues efforts to reshape the State Department in alignment with its stated "America First" agenda. The White House Office of Management and Budget had previously advocated for closing up to 30 foreign missions, a more ambitious programme than what is now proposed. Some administration officials have argued privately that smaller foreign missions lack cost-effectiveness. Early last year, during the opening months of the Trump administration, the State Department began preparations to close nearly a dozen foreign missions.

Democratic lawmakers and former foreign policy officials have warned that cuts to the diplomatic footprint, coupled with the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development, risk undermining American leadership and influence abroad. These critics argue such reductions leave a vacuum that adversaries including China and Russia may exploit. The people familiar with the congressional notice spoke on condition of anonymity, as the notice remained non-public at the time of reporting.