Massachusetts Air National Guard meets with Paraguayan military to discuss enlisted professional development

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Julia Ahaesy
  • 102nd Intelligence Wing

Members of the 102nd Intelligence Wing and 104th Fighter Wing met with members of the Paraguayan military, the Massachusetts National Guard’s (MANG) partner in the State Partnership Program (SPP), to exchange best practices for Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) development on Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts, July 31, 2024.

The conversation centered around developing the nations’ enlisted warfighters. MANG Airmen and their Paraguayan partners exchanged knowledge and experience of how they train, educate and empower their service members beyond formal professional military education.

“I believe that both sides benefited from seeing how the military of another country thinks and operates,” said 102nd Intelligence Wing Command Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Hirl. “I learned that many of the problems we face in our Air National Guard are similar to those faced by the Paraguayan military. Additionally, I learned that we both have many of the same approaches to mental health and the overall well-being of our respective service members.”

Senior NCOs and NCOs from the 102nd IW and 104th FW collaborated with their Paraguayan counterparts to discuss and share effective approaches to empowerment, retention, mental health, training, leadership and more.

“The collaboration that we have is so important to Paraguay,” said Armed Forces of Paraguay Master Sgt. Enrique Meza. “We learn a lot and we know you learn from us too, and that helps us improve our NCO corps with NCO development, professional development and everything.”

The purpose of the SPP is to encourage long-term and mutually beneficial relationships with allied nations around the globe. In the MANG-Paraguay partnership, the nations coordinate and schedule time to meet to exchange best practices and strengthen their relationship.

“I am so glad for the opportunity to collaborate with our Paraguayan partners and to learn their perspective on leadership, mental health, resiliency and much more,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jordan Morency, 102nd Communications Squadron. “It was a very informative discussion.”