As Antigua and Barbuda prepares to welcome global leaders for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) this November, security agencies and key national stakeholders have dedicated the first half of this Friday to the second day of Exercise Stronghold, a large-scale pre-event readiness drill designed to evaluate the nation’s capacity to host the high-profile summit. A government spokesperson has confirmed that while the drill will bring temporary disruptions to regular business operations, most notably for commercial entities located inside the designated Red Zone security perimeter, the simulation is a non-negotiable component of the advanced planning required to pull off a major international gathering of this scale.
Over the past two weeks, security teams have conducted door-to-door and business-to-business outreach across the Red Zone, walking residents and enterprise owners through the drill’s objectives and asking for their ongoing cooperation to ensure the exercise runs smoothly. Organizers have also paired these on-the-ground efforts with a broad media campaign to raise public awareness of the drill and explain its critical role in refining final summit security plans. The government has also held direct consultations with key local groups including the Antigua Chamber of Industry and Commerce to pre-empt concerns and request patience from stakeholders operating in affected areas.
E.P Chet Greene, Chair of the National CHOGM Task Force and the nation’s Foreign Minister, has echoed the call for public support for the exercise, releasing a public statement emphasizing the collective importance of the drill. “To the public, I extend my sincere gratitude. Your cooperation and patience are indispensable to the success of this exercise. Your participation demonstrates the ‘all-of-country’ support that defines us as a people and signals to the world our collective readiness to host this global event,” Greene said.
The minister also addressed the inevitable disruptions the drill will bring, offering a formal apology for temporary changes to daily routines including traffic slowdowns and limited access to restricted areas. “Please understand that these temporary adjustments are necessary. Proper and effective planning is the only path to ensuring the safety of our international guests and our own people and the overall success of the event,” he emphasized.
On Thursday, one day ahead of the second phase of the drill, security leaders and partner stakeholders held a debrief to assess the outcomes of Day 1, which was held Wednesday under a soft lockdown protocol. The team used that review to finalize arrangements for Friday’s more extensive simulation, which will operate under a hard lockdown framework. For the full duration of Friday’s drill, no individuals without official event accreditation will be permitted entry to the Red Zone security perimeter, with strict restrictions in place for both vehicle and foot traffic inside the restricted area.