Brent Christensen, confirmed by the US Senate as the next Ambassador to Bangladesh, is likely to arrive in Dhaka next month to take up his responsibility and lead the Embassy team to build strong ties with both the current interim government and its democratically elected successor to advance the Bangladesh-US relationship.
“I am honored to be confirmed by the United States Senate and deeply grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to serve as the next United States Ambassador to Bangladesh,” he said on Friday in a message from his Linkedin account.
During his nomination hearing at the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Ambassador Christensen said the United States supports Bangladesh in its journey toward a bright and democratic future.
He said the people of Bangladesh will go to the polls early next year – the country’s most consequential election in decades – to choose a new government and a new path forward.
Ambassador Christensen also referred to his “over twenty years of experience working on US policy towards Bangladesh” across his Foreign Service career, including a prior tour in Dhaka.
He served as Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs at the US Embassy here from 2019-2021, according to his official profile on the State Department’s website.
Early on in his career, he also served as Bangladesh Country Officer in the Office of Pakistan and Bangladesh Affairs, which no longer exists under that name, at the State Department.
His other appointments include Deputy Director, Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the Department of State (2016-2019), and as a Pearson Fellow on detail to the majority staff of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific (2015-2016).
He has also been Special Assistant to the Special Representative for North Korea Policy, Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs Cyber Coordinator, Deputy Counselor for Economic Affairs at the US Embassy in Manila, Deputy Economic Counselor at the US Embassy in San Salvador, Economic Officer at the US Embassy in Riyadh, and Vice Consul at the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The US Embassy in Dhaka has been running without an ambassador since Peter Haas wrapped up his tenure in the summer of 2024.
Since then, a series of charge de affaires or CDAs have filled the role.