Embassy of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
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Iakwe!
Welcome to the official website of the Embassy of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (Marshall Islands) to the United States of America in Washington, D.C.
For over seven decades, the Marshall Islands and the United States have enjoyed a strong historical relationship committed to democratic principles, world peace and security. This partnership started during World War II where Marshallese served alongside US soldiers as scouts. From 1946 to 1958, the islands of Bikini and Enewetak served as the site where the US conducted 67 atomic and thermonuclear bomb tests. In 1947, the Marshall Islands became part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, a UN mandated Strategic Trust, placed under US administration along with six other islands in Micronesia.
In 1986, the Marshall Islands and the United States entered into the Compact of Free Association, a special and unique relationship which was amended in 2003 that governs the partnership between the two countries to this day. The Marshall Islands is host to the United States Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll and home to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site. Under the Compact agreement, citizens of the Marshall Islands can live and work in the U.S. without the requirement of having a visa as nonimmigrants and also are able to join the U.S. Armed Services.
Today, there are more than 20,000 Marshallese citizens here in the United States. This website serves as a reliable source of information for our citizens here in the US, a place where they can get news regarding their Home Islands and information on issues that may affect their stay in the US. It is also a conduit for exchange of thoughts and ideas about how to improve the lives of our citizens back home as well as here in the US.
To all our website visitors, especially those wanting to learn about and visit the Marshall Islands and potential investors, I hope you will find the website useful, with up-to-date information on the People, Culture, Economy and Government of the Marshall Islands.
On behalf of the Embassy of the Marshall Islands in the United States, I welcome you to browse this website, and at the same time invite you to share your comments on how it can be better improved.
Kommol tata/Thank You for visiting our website.
Gerald M. Zackios
Ambassador
Gerald M. Zackios is honored to serve as the Ambassador of the Marshall Islands to the United States. On September 16 , 2016, he presented his credentials to President Barack H. Obama. He started his civil service in the RMI in 1985 when he was hired as the Fiscal Officer for the Department of Aging, in what was then the Ministry of Social Services (now the Ministry of Internal Affairs). He worked there for two years before returning to school. He completed his Bachelor in Law degree in 1989 at the University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby.
Mr. Zackios returned after completion of his university studies to the RMI and was engaged as an Assistant Attorney General from 1990-1992. During this period, he also attended the IMO International Maritime Law Institute in Malta where he received a Masters of Law Degree in International Maritime Law in June 1992. Mr. Zackios was promoted to Deputy Attorney General following this accomplishment from 1992-1995, including serving as Acting Attorney General until his appointment as Permanent Attorney General in 1996.