Mass Guard Cyber Teams Up With Paraguay
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Members of the Massachusetts National Guard participated in a large cyber exercise held by U. S. Southern Command, April 25 through May 9, 2025. The defensive cyber exercise called Southern Defender brought together more than 300 participants from 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries across 15 locations, with the goal of training to mitigate cyber threats.
Mass Guardsmen were in Paraguay for the exercise, working with the Mass Guard’s State partner during Southern Defender.
“We were part of a team of native Spanish speakers from the Mass Guard; we all used our individual and collective talents to provide constructive training, assessments, and feedback for the team participating from Paraguay,” said Staff Sgt. Isabella Anthonys, 126th Cyber Protection Battalion.
The exercise was hosted virtually by the Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta, Georgia and pitted red teams against blue teams in a series of challenges, including capture the flag.
“Similar to joint training sessions between sports teams, participants engage in drills, share strategies, and learn from one another to improve interoperability for potential future collaborations,” said Anthonys.
This was Paraguay’s first time participating in Southern Defender.
“This being their first time, it was very interesting to see people from multiple organizations come together for a greater goal to learn how to advance their cybersecurity planning and operations. Their willingness to learn made the instruction that much more enjoyable for us. The energy and questions they provided came from different levels of cyber knowledge, and seeing them work and feed off each other made this exercise that much more important,” said Anthonys.
Exercises like Southern Defender help foster trust and strengthen the U.S.-Paraguay partnership. The exercise facilitated mutual learning, particularly in cybersecurity, enhancing both nations’ preparedness for future joint efforts.
“This was a valuable experience for me, allowing me to leverage my IT and cybersecurity expertise to assist others and develop new skills, such as instructing fellow IT professionals on utilizing network defense tools,” said Tech. Sgt. Angel Rodriguez, 104th Communications Squadron.
“In my view, Southern Defender served not only as a cyber exercise but also as a meaningful platform for fostering mutual understanding, collaboration, and peacekeeping among the participating nations,” said Rodriguez. “Beyond the technical training and scenario-based challenges, the exercise created an environment where representatives from different countries could engage in open dialogue, share perspectives, and build trust through joint problem-solving. This spirit of cooperation is essential in today’s interconnected digital landscape, where cyber threats often transcend borders. By working together toward common goals, participants not only strengthened their technical capabilities but also contributed to broader efforts in promoting regional stability and collective security.”