United States Navy Commander Admiral Alvin Holsey who is responsible for the US Southern Command, paid a working visit to Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday.
During the visit, Admiral Holsey met with Prime Minister Gaston Browne and senior members of the Cabinet. There has not been any indication regarding what was discussed during the closed door session.
Prior to the meeting, PM Browne indicated that as far as he was aware, the visit by the US military official was ‘a courtesy call’.
When queried about whether the US Naval official’s visit was to ‘negotiate’ with Antigua and Barbuda, PM Browne reaffirmed that Antigua and Barbuda remains committed to maintaining the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace and that this is non-negotiable. He however stated that the country had no appetite to be engaged in geopolitical spats as Antigua and Barbuda ‘was too small’ to be having enemies.
Admiral Holsey also met with Brigadier Telbert Benjamin and senior officials of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force. Those discussions centered around Antigua and Barbuda’s hosting of Trade Winds military exercises next year.
Brig. Benjamin said this is the 6th time that Antigua and Barbuda will host the exercises which include members of the Regional Security Service as well as the United States. The ABDF head said the exercise slated for June next year will have special significance as it will serve as part of the preparations for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) taking place in Antigua and Barbuda in the second half of 2026.
“We want to involve all the security forces; ABDF, Coast Guard, Air Wing, ONDCP and police in Trade Winds exercise next year,” he reported.
Brig. Benjamin said the United States is a ‘key partner’ of Antigua and Barbuda in security arrangements such as Trade Winds and that while there has been much speculation regarding the visit, there is nothing unusual about it. “We fall within the US Southern Command and with our key role in hosting Trade Winds next year, the visit by Admiral Holsey is part of the process to look at what infrastructure is in place for the exercise. We have been dealing with the Admiral almost on a daily basis so he is no stranger to us,” he declared.
