New US ambassador Brent Christensen arrives in Dhaka to ‘boost bilateral ties, economic engagement’

Brent Christensen, the newly appointed United States ambassador to Bangladesh, has arrived in Dhaka.

This marks Christensen’s return to Bangladesh, having previously served as political and economic counsellor at the US Embassy from 2019 to 2021.

His appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary was announced by US President Donald Trump in September last year, and he received Senate approval last month -- two days after the US embassy confirmed his swearing-in as ambassador.

A post on the embassy’s official Facebook page welcomed Christensen.

“I am thrilled to return to Bangladesh, a country I know so well. I am excited to lead a great team at Embassy Dhaka, Americans and locally employed staff alike, to enhance US-Bangladesh relations, advance President Trump's agenda, and work hard every day to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” Christensen was quoted in the post.

Christensen succeeds Peter Haas as Dhaka’s 18th US ambassador. Haas served from March 2022 to April 2024 and retired on Sept 27, 2024. In his absence, Tracey Ann Jacobson had acted as the chargé d’affaires.

Christensen last served as foreign policy advisor at the US Strategic Command from August 2022 to January this year, providing guidance on the international implications of US strategic deterrence missions.

With over two decades of diplomatic experience, he has held key positions in Washington and abroad, including deputy director of the Regional Security and Arms Transfers Bureau, special assistant to the special representative for North Korea policy, and Pearson Fellow in the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Asia-Pacific subcommittee.

He has also served in US embassies in Manila, San Salvador, Riyadh and Ho Chi Minh City.

Christensen is a distinguished graduate of the National War College (Master’s in National Security Strategy, 2022), holds a Master’s in statistics from Texas A&M University, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in economics and management from Rice University.

Fluent in Spanish, German and Vietnamese, he has also studied French, Japanese and Portuguese.

Before joining the foreign service in 2002, Christensen worked as a management consultant in Houston and New York.

During his Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in October, Christensen noted that he would work closely with the Bangladesh government and military to assess risks in relation to China and its armed forces.

In his written statement, he said, despite being the world’s eighth-most populous country, Bangladesh is often overshadowed by larger neighbours.

He said he would bring over 20 years of experience on US policy toward Bangladesh, including prior work in Dhaka. I understand the country’s importance and the strategic significance of US interests.

Christensen highlighted Bangladesh’s pivotal role in a free, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, noting the country is at a “critical juncture”.

He referenced the student-led protests of August 2024, which led to the fall of a government in power for over 15 years, and said that elections would be among the most consequential in decades.

Focusing on economic engagement, Christensen said as ambassador he would work to strengthen US-Bangladesh trade relations, reduce trade barriers and deficits, and support Bangladesh’s development in alignment with US commercial interests.

He also pledged to collaborate with the interim government and democratically elected successors to advance the bilateral partnership.