Photo By Staff Sgt. Jasmine McCarthy | Staff Sgt. Daniel Jarillo-Gutierrez, an information technology specialist assigned to...... read more read more
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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – From Juarez, Mexico, to the Kentucky Army National Guard, Staff Sgt. Daniel Jarillo-Gutierrez, an information technology specialist with Joint Force Headquarters, translates in three languages: English, Spanish, and cyber. Working alongside cyber team members from the Ecuadorian Air Force, Navy, and Army, Jarillo-Gutierrez serves as an interpreter and exercise participant for Cyber Shield 2025, taking place from May 30, 2025 to June 13, 2025. His skills in the cyber field and his first language have allowed him to continuously work with the Ecuadorians over the past few years.
“Communication is key,” said Jarillo-Gutierrez. “Cyber is its own language, so having English and Spanish with cyber has been beneficial for me as I understand all of it.”
Since 1996, the Kentucky National Guard joined with the Ecuadorian military through the State Partnership Program (SPP) to lead numerous joint training exercises, collaborative projects and cultural exchanges, and enhance skills and understanding of both parties. Jarillo-Gutierrez so far has participated in several cyber exercises across the United States and Latin America, to include Ecuador, and he believes it is important to keep a continuous relationship.
“I’m able to build that relationship with our state partners, so I like to join and volunteer,” said Jarillo-Gutierrez. “It helps keep the continuity because they see my face, they know who I am and they are a lot more open to talk.”
Jarillo-Gutierrez came to the United States as a young child. Through his step-father’s military career and also being part of the information technology field, Jarillo-Gutierrez found himself enlisting in the Kentucky Army National Guard on August 14, 2025.
“Communications and computers were getting really popular, so I wanted to see myself go into a career that I could grow in, and that is futuristic,” said Jarillo-Gutierrez.
On the Ecuadorian side, Commander Patricio Villalba with the Ecuadorian Navy is here to learn about tools for cyber security and cyber defense. His last exercise experience was in San Antonio, Texas, and it will be the first time he is participating with Cyber Shield in Virginia.
“It is important for us to work together because we share the same problem, same adversaries, and we can help each other with these issues,” said Villalba. “With our experience and knowledge, we can win to solve these cybersecurity problems.”
This year’s Cyber Shield exercise invited over 900 Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, Guardians and civilian experts from around the world. In addition to the diverse representation from states and territories, 15 countries within the National Guard’s State Partnership Program came together to share best practices and create a unified approach on defending against cyber threats.
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2025 19:53 |
| Story ID: | 500381 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 91 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Kentucky National Guardsman uses native language and cyber skills to overcome training barriers, by SSG Jasmine McCarthy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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