DORAL, Fla. – U.S. and Partner nation forces concluded participation in Southern Defender (SD) 2025 May 9. SD25 is a defensive cyber operations exercise designed to enhance cybersecurity capabilities across the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility. Approximately 320 participants from 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries engaged in intensive training and practical exercises across 15 locations focused on mitigating cyber threats.
Hosted virtually by the Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta, Georgia, the exercise saw partner nation "Blue Teams" defending against attacks from a U.S.-based "Red Team" comprised of U.S. personnel. The training leveraged open-source tools and real-world threat intelligence, fostering a realistic environment for participants to hone their skills.
"Southern Defender 25, through its hybrid approach, has proven successful again this year in achieving exercise objectives,” said Jeff Edmonds, senior exercise planner. “All participating partner nations have shown marked increases in information sharing, interoperability and have mutually increased their capacity in the cyber domain. This annual exercise has grown every year, and we expect this trend to continue.”
The exercise incorporated a Capture the Flag (CTF) program to monitor and score partner nation team performance, tracking response times, mitigation methods, and remediation efforts. Daily tallies were posted to promote competition and information sharing among the teams.
The two-week program included academic instruction and hands-on training, with a final week dedicated to a "Red vs. Blue" culmination. A key component of SD 2025 involved Mobile Training Teams (MTT) deployed to partner nation locations, leveraging the State Partnership Program (SPP) and active-duty elements to provide tailored instruction.
The exercise had partner participation from South America, Central America and the Caribbean. U.S. National Guard units from Kentucky, South Carolina, Montana and Delaware also participated, as well as Marine Corps Reserve units.
SD 25 is the cyber training track aligned with SOUTHCOM exercises CENTAM Guardian 25, Tradewinds 25, and Southern Star 25.