Ratney, who was nominated by US President Joe Biden, currently serves in the United States Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute.

His career has seen him serving as the State Department’s Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Levant and Israel and Palestinian Affairs, and was the US Special Envoy for Syria. Before that Ratney was the US Consul General in Jerusalem.

At the time of his nomination Ratney had said he was committed to a “strong and sustainable US-Saudi partnership that advances US interests and reflects US values.”

Ratney said he wanted to help strengthen Saudi defenses through security cooperation and training, “demonstrating the durable American commitment to our partners and allies and to our values.”