New US Ambassador to Malta G Kathleen Hill this morning presented her credentials to President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca at the Palace in Valletta.
Ms Hill, a career US foreign service officer, takes over from Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley who was ambassador for three-and-a-half years.
The standard term is three years.
Besides in the US, Ms Hill has served in several countries including Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Uzbekistan, Italy and Canada.
Hill has been the recipient of several State Department awards for her managerial and leadership skills, including the 2012 James Clement Dunn Award for Excellence.
She speaks Italian, Russian, and Serbian.