Bahrain and the United States have been allies since Bahrain's independence in 1971 and have maintained close relations with shared mutual interests across economic and geopolitical lines. History Since 1947, while still a British colony, Bahrain has been the location of a U.S. naval base, Naval Support Activity Bahrain. When Bahrain became independent in 1971, the US-Bahrain relationship was formalized with the establishment of diplomatic relations, initiated by the diplomatic recognition of Bahrain as a sovereign state by the U.S. on August 15. The U.S. embassy in Manama was opened on September 21, 1971, and the country's first resident ambassador, Joseph W. Twinam, was sent in 1974. The Bahraini embassy in Washington, D.C., opened in 1977. In October 1991, Emir Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa made a state visit to Washington. In 2001, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa made his first visit to the U.S. after succeeding his father in 1999. He returned to Washington on another working visit in January 2003. King Hamad made an official visit to Washington in November 2004 meeting with President Bush and cabinet-level officials. In 2008, George W. Bush became the first sitting American President to visit Bahrain with a two-day visit from January 12 to 13 where he met with King Hamad and addressed American military personnel. Bahrain and the United States signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement in October 1991 granting U.S. forces access to Bahraini facilities and ensuring the right to pre-position material for future crises. Bahrain is the headquarters of the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet. The U.S. designated Bahrain as a Major non-NATO ally in 2002. The American Mission Hospital, affiliated with the National Evangelical Church (Bahrain), has operated continuously in Bahrain for more than a century. On September 14, 2004, both countries signed a free trade agreement. The agreement was ratified by the United States House of Representatives on December 7, 2005, by 327–95, with 10 not voting and passed by the United States Senate on December 13, 2005. President George W. Bush signed the USBFTA Implementation Act into law () on January 11, 2006. The FTA was implemented on August 1, 2006, and reduced certain barriers of trade between the two countries. On September 11, 2020, the U.S. announced it had brokered the second agreement of the Abraham Accords between Bahrain and Israel. It was formally signed on September 15, 2020, at the White House in Washington,