The foreign, diplomatic, economic, and political relations between Croatia and the United States were established on April 7, 1992 following the independence of Croatia. By the late-1990s, the U.S. established Croatia as its strongest geopolitical connection to Southeast Europe. Modern relations are considered to be warm and friendly, with stalwart bilateral collaboration. The Croatian diaspora in the U.S. is the largest, estimated to be around 1.2 million which, in part, informs the foreign policy of Croatia. The two nations have strong connectivity through tourism, immigration, foreign aid, and economic mutualism.
Croatia and the U.S. are close military allies and share a robust bilateral defense industrial base. U.S. interests in Croatia are centered on the state's stabilizing influence in the region and extending the global reach of jointly-held Western ideals. The U.S. trained and equipped the Croatian Armed Forces in joint-initiation of Operation Storm during the Croatian War of Independence, helping to secure much of modern Croatian borders. Both are members of NATO. After the 2022 Tu-141 drone crash in Zagreb, the U.S. dispatched two F-16 fighter jets in a show of military strength for Croatia.
