Who is Brent Christensen, the new ambassador to Bangladesh?

US President Donald Trump has nominated Brent Christensen as the next American ambassador to Bangladesh. His appointment will take effect upon approval by the Senate, according to an announcement on the US State Department’s website.

Christensen, a career diplomat, is currently serving as Under Secretary at the State Department in Washington. He previously worked at the US Embassy in Dhaka from 2019 for three years as Political Counselor.

From August 2022 to January 2025, Christensen served as Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander of US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), where he provided counsel on the foreign policy implications of the command’s global deterrence mission.

His earlier assignments include Deputy Director of the Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (2016–2019), Pearson Fellow with the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific (2015–2016), Special Assistant to the Special Representative for North Korea Policy, Cyber Coordinator in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Deputy Economic Counselor at the US Embassy in Manila, Deputy Economic Counselor at the US Embassy in San Salvador, Country Officer for Bangladesh in the Office of Pakistan and Bangladesh Affairs, Economic Officer at the US Embassy in Riyadh, and Vice Consul at the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.

In addition to his diplomatic career, Christensen also served from 2018 to 2021 as one of two career Foreign Service members on the Foreign Service Impasses Disputes Panel, part of the Federal Labor Relations Authority.

Academically, Christensen is a graduate of the National War College and earned a master’s degree in National Security Strategy in 2022. He also holds a master’s degree in Statistics from Texas A&M University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Managerial Studies from Rice University.

Christensen is multilingual, speaking Spanish, German, and Vietnamese, with additional studies in French, Japanese, and Portuguese. Before joining the Foreign Service in 2002, he worked as a management consultant in Houston and New York City.