2024 Condition of the Guard

Funding for this program is provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation.

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As elected officials gather in Iowa's capital city of Des Moines, Major General Stephen Osborn, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, speaks to a joint session of the Iowa legislature. This is the 2024 Condition of the Guard Address.

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Rep. Amy Sinclair: The Chair recognizes the Sergeant at Arms.

Madam President, the Executive Council has arrived in the House Chamber.

Rep. Amy Sinclair: Please escort the members of the Executive Council to their seats.

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Rep. Amy Sinclair: The Chair recognizes the Sergeant at Arms.

Madam President, your committee to escort Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg has arrived.

Rep. Amy Sinclair: The committee will escort the Honorable Adam Gregg to his seat.

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Rep. Amy Sinclair: The Chair recognizes the Sergeant at Arms.

Madam President, your committee to notify and escort Major General Stephen Osborn has arrived.

Rep. Amy Sinclair: The committee will escort Major General Stephen Osborn, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, to the rostrum.

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Rep. Amy Sinclair: It is my pleasure to introduce Major General Stephen Osborn, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard. Major General Osborn is here to present the Condition of the Iowa National Guard Address.

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Major General Osborn: Thank you. Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It is truly an honor to be here. Thank you Speaker Grassley and President Sinclair for the invitation and allowing me to come to this distinct committee and talk about the Iowa National Guard and tell our story.

Lieutenant Governor Gregg, distinguished members of the Iowa General Assembly, state officials, and my fellow Iowans. It is, again, truly a privilege to speak to this dignified body and share with you the major events and accomplishments of our Iowa National Guard. Today, I want to address our unwavering commitment to people, readiness, modernization, and communication.

This is my first time standing here with you as the Adjutant General, representing the nearly nine thousand men and women of the Iowa National Guard, and I am truly honored to lead this organization. This is not a position I ever envisioned when I joined the Army 40 years ago. Like many soldiers, I enlisted into the military for multiple reasons, including the fact that military service runs deep in my family. I am the grandson of a farmer from Eastern Iowa who was drafted and deployed to France in World War I, as part of the Army 88th Division, after the war returned to Iowa to farm once again. I am the son of a father who was a United States Marine and served in Korea at the tail end of that war. Both of these gentlemen influenced me and instilled in me a calling to serve.

But ultimately, I joined the military because of the college benefits, but it was the experiences, leadership skills, and opportunities I gained that has kept me here all these years.

And now as the leader of the Iowa National Guard, as I have advanced in rank and age, I have seen the impact the Guard has on people. Those willing to sacrifice for state and nation. We owe our service members every opportunity and benefit to take care of them and allow them to do their jobs.

We are very thankful for the strong support we receive from the members of this General Assembly, from the Iowa Congressional delegation, the Governor’s Office, and above all, from Iowans across this great state. This past year you provided over $16.6 million dollars in funding for infrastructure and over $6.4 million dollars in service scholarships supporting 988 soldiers and airmen. So, on behalf of the Iowa National Guard, I want to say thank you to each and every one of you for what you have done to assist us in building a world class organization that is always ready to respond. I want to publicly thank Governor Reynolds and Lieutenant Governor Gregg for their continued support of Iowans who serve or have served our state and nation.

It is simply our people, the service members of the Iowa National Guard, our families, our civilian employers who continue to sacrifice their time, their talents, and their resources that enable us to be always ready to respond to the next event. And today, I am proud to share with you the professionalism and the commitment of our people over the past year, explain my priorities as the Adjutant General and lay out our vision for the future.

But first I want to begin by letting everyone know who we are. The Iowa National Guard - we are Iowans, serving Iowans across this great state. We are comprised of nearly 9,000 full-time, and part-time soldiers and airmen along with our civilian employees. Our roots come from each of Iowa’s 99 counties. Of those 9,000 members, more than 6,500 serve part-time with the Iowa National Guard as they attend school or work full-time for other employers across the state.

Our full-time workforce includes more than 2,200 service members and civilians who work at one of our 36 armories, 3 Army aviation facilities, 13 Army Field Maintenance Shops, 3 Air National Guard facilities, or on Camp Dodge.

We are a diversified force. Our service members range in age anywhere from 17 to 61 years old and our formations are comprised of multiple races, ethnic backgrounds, national origins, and religions.

We are your employees, your employers, your neighbors, your friends, and your loved ones who choose to work and live in Iowa while serving our state and nation.

The uniqueness of the Guard is our dual role. We train and prepare for domestic operations here in the state of Iowa and federal operations around the world. For instance, we completed the U.S. Northern Command’s Vigilant Guard training exercise this past summer. This is the premier exercise for the National Guard that tests our ability to execute domestic operations here in the continental United States in conjunction with other state agencies and federal partners.

But our largest domestic operation this past year occurred in August when we sent 109 soldiers to Texas, in support of Operation Lone Star, at Governor Reynolds' direction. This task force, made up entirely of volunteers, was drawn from our Cavalry Squadron, one of our Infantry Battalions, and our Military Police Company.

We are also regularly mobilizing Iowa National Guard service members for federal missions.

There was a day when the National Guard served simply as a Strategic Reserve, only called upon by the federal government in case of extreme emergency. Not anymore. The National Guard today is, and will continue to be, a fully capable and equipped Operational Reserve, and a partner in the broader military strategy to address our world’s challenges.

We have proven our capabilities over this past year with multiple deployments including the 209th Medical Company and 1133rd Transportation Company’s missions to Poland in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

The 831st Engineer Vertical Construction Company who is currently mobilized and deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield and providing critical infrastructure support throughout the CENTCOM region.

The 1034th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion who is currently mobilized and deployed supporting federal agencies on the southwest border.

And just last week, we mobilized and deployed members of the 2nd Battalion 211th Aviation Regiment and the 186th Military Police Company to Kosovo as part of an ongoing multi-national NATO peacekeeping mission providing safety, security, and stability for all citizens throughout Kosovo and the Balkans.

The men and women of our Air National Guard have been just as busy this past year. Our airmen supported federal missions throughout the world including Korea, Japan, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Greenland, and Germany on everything from cyber security to air refueling. Many of our airmen also served at their home station, here in Iowa, while supporting missions around the globe.

Standouts this past year include the 132nd Wing in Des Moines where 109 Airmen from the 132nd Wing Intelligence Group supported 7 different combatant commands with targeting analysis from both home station and locations abroad.

The 124th Attack Squadron piloted MQ9 remote piloted aircraft, conducting 262 combat missions over 3 different continents.

The 168th Cyber Operations Squadron mobilized 40 Airmen for a duration of 6 months operating from the Des Moines Air Base and locations around the world. These men and women supported operations across 3 different continents protecting critical networks and serving as a quick reaction force ready to perform cyber incident response.

And finally, the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City. They performed air refueling missions around the world with over 2,152 flying hours encompassing 630 missions and off-loading 5 million pounds of aviation fuel to 717 aircraft.

The Iowa National Guard is truly a joint force, comprised of both Army and Air. And this past year, the Iowa National Guard Joint Force Headquarters has undertaken the greatest transformation since its inception. We have accomplished this with a renewed focus on a balanced Army and Air approach and by appointing Colonel Mark Kappelmann as our first true full-time Director of the Joint Staff.

This initiative is a reorganization that optimizes organizational efficiencies, leverages our human capital, and brings the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard into a more cohesive, joint team, without growing our force structure.

This reform also unburdens the Army Staff and affords them the opportunity to focus more time and attention on our deployable units for their domestic and wartime missions.

This strategic management decision touches all aspects of the culture and performance of the Iowa National Guard. And I expect the Joint Staff to be fully operationally capable this year.

Within the Joint Staff, we are one of the first states in the nation to implement the Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce. This is DOD’s answer to congressionally-mandated activities that provides new and additional resources to Sexual Assault Response and Prevention, Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy, and the public health prevention domains of Self-Directed Harm, Family Violence, and Workplace Violence.

To organize and manage this new capability the Prevention and Resilience Services Directorate was created. This includes 14 new full-time civilian employees with 8 in primary prevention and 6 in sexual assault and victim advocacy services. This new directorate synchronizes existing capabilities which support service members, their families, and the families of the fallen with a wide range of responsive resources.

In addition, our Prevention and Resilience Services team has begun coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services Public Health team to leverage existing resources and streamline the preventative services that our service members receive in their home county. Ultimately, these long-range, holistic efforts lay the groundwork to keep your Iowa National Guard ready to executive any state or federal mission well into the future.

When I came into this role almost a year ago, I laid out four priorities for the Iowa National Guard - People, Readiness, Modernization, and Communication.

Our people are the foundation of our organization, and we must ensure they are developed, cared for, and resourced for success through engagement, mentorship, and planning.

Readiness entails recruiting, training, leading, and retaining soldiers and airmen. We must ensure our service members are ready to lead our formations, are competent in their technical skills, masters of their equipment, and will operate successfully as an individual or part of a unit to accomplish their mission.

We will continue to modernize our forces and our infrastructure to meet the size, scope, and demand of the future requirements of our military, all while improving our communicate, and engaging not only our soldiers and airmen, but also the public we serve. We will continue to tell the story of who we are, show the professionalism of our organization, and counter any misunderstanding of military service that may exist.

Everything we do truly starts with our people. Every one of our soldiers and airmen chose to raise their right hand and become something bigger than themselves to serve both state and nation.

So, at this time, it is my honor to highlight a few of those people from our organization.

Soldiers like Specialist Nicole Duarte. Originally from Florida, her parents moved to Iowa for better opportunities. Coming from an immigrant family, Nicole was seeking the American Dream, but more importantly guidance for her life and future career. She was originally intrigued about the Guard while in high school and enjoyed the idea of being able to serve while still having a civilian lifestyle. She wanted to become a nurse and found incredible training and a true family environment with our Brigade Medical Company on Camp Dodge. She now works full-time as a military medical trainer at the Sustainment Training Center located on Camp Dodge, training hundreds of medical soldiers not just from Iowa, but from across the country. And in a continued effort to give back, she was one of the first people that supported the Service to Citizenship Program where people can serve to gain their citizenship. So, ladies and gentlemen, please join me in recognizing Specialist Nicole Duarte.

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Another one of these Soldiers is Staff Sergeant Nick Darland from Ankeny. Staff Sergeant Darland is a part-time soldier with Bravo company 1347th Division Sustainment Support Battalion out of Knoxville. He has been in the Guard for twelve years and was recently recognized for saving a co-worker’s life at his full-time job in Peru, Iowa. In fact, Darland credits his training with the Iowa National Guard for having the skills to help, when an employee collapsed, suffering a massive heart attack. In this moment of crisis, Darland immediately starting lifesaving actions and kept this man alive until first responders arrived. Ladies and gentlemen, Staff Sergeant Nick Darland and Mr. Nathan Kessler, the gentleman Nick helped save.

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A great example of dedicated life of serving Iowans is our State Command Chief, Command Chief Master Sergeant Sarah Orwig. Chief Orwig is the first female Iowa Air National Guard State Command Chief. She has spent most of her career in the 185th Security Forces Squadron, where she served as the Chief of Security Forces and qualified as a Phoenix Raven, a higher level of qualification for security personnel. She also serves as the District Representative for the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of Iowa promoting the professional development and wellness of the enlisted force. Plus, in her full-time capacity, Chief Orwig is a firefighter in her community in the city of Sioux City. So, ladies and gentlemen, please join me in recognizing Command Chief Master Sergeant Sarah Orwig.

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And lastly, I want to highlight two brothers in the Iowa National Guard who volunteered to support Operation Lone Star at the southwest border. Both are soldiers with the Iowa National Guard. One of these brothers took time away from his full-time job and volunteered to deploy as a soldier with Task Force Rio Bravo. The other brother, also a solider, deployed instead in his full-time capacity as a Special Agent with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Now, we only have one of the brothers here today, but please join me in recognizing Chief Warrant Officer 4 and State Senator Dan Dawson.

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These are just a few examples of the exceptional individuals both part-time and full-time who make up the Iowa National Guard. They understand then opportunities and benefits of being a part of what makes this state and country great. We continue to seek out individuals who want to be a part of this team, so that we can keep our formations full and ready to respond to any mission. I would also like to recognize that taking care of people goes well beyond our soldiers and airmen. We recognize that military service also places significant demands and stress on families, friends, and loved ones. We owe them all an organizational culture that recognizes and values their contributions and sacrifices. Please join me in thanking those family members that are with us and those that may be watching online here, who also serve along every one of our service members. Thank you to our families.

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The reality is we live in a very volatile world. From strategic threats that impact our allies, partners, and interests abroad to protection of our critical infrastructure, networks, and communities here at home. More than ever, we are focused on building resiliency of our people and training them in challenging environments to maintain proficiency and responsiveness to the needs of our civilian leadership.

A key part of our readiness effort includes our partnership with the country of Kosovo as part of the Department of Defense State Partnership Program. This past year we conducted over a dozen joint events to increase our interoperability. We were able to execute the largest Hazardous Materials Training in our Iowa-Kosovo State Partnership history that included the 71st Civil Support Team, members of the Kosovo Security Force, and local Des Moines first responders. In addition, Iowa Guardsmen joined our Kosovo Security Force partners in Defender Europe 2023, Europe’s largest multi-national exercise involving 7,000 U.S. troops and 17,000 partner nation forces from over 20 countries. The strength of this partnership has expanded beyond security cooperation to include civilian institutions and a greater partnership between Iowa and Kosovo as a whole.

I had the privilege of joining Governor Reynolds on her very first visit to Kosovo this past June, at the invitation of Kosovo President Osmani, with the visit reciprocated by the Kosovo President making her first trip to Iowa in October.

As we enter our thirteenth year of this partnership, we will continue to leverage this relationship to enhance the readiness of the Iowa National Guard and the Kosovo Security Force.

Training is also a key component of readiness. Training is a constant in the Iowa National Guard and in 2023 we saw many significant training events across our formations.

The 124th Attack Squadron designed and executed exercise Hawki Fury where they flew live fire training sorties for the first time out of the Des Moines Airbase with an unmanned MQ-9.

Members of 1st Battalion 133rd Infantry and 1st Battalion 194th Field Artillery participated in a demanding 28-day combat training center rotation at Fort Johnson, Louisiana. Soldiers from the 294th Medical Company and 2nd Battalion 211th Aviation Regiment provided direct medical and medical evacuation support at Operation Northern Strike, one of the largest Department of Defense annual joint and multi-national training exercises.

This year will be no different as we continue to train and build readiness across the Iowa National Guard.

For the Air Guard, this includes improving individual and unit capability through the execution of operations both within the framework of exercises and in real-world mission support.

These operations will take some of our airmen to locations around the world, however many of these missions are executed from their home duty locations right here in Iowa. For the Iowa Army National Guard, the major event for 2024 is participation as the key training audience in an exportable combat training capability, or xCTC training exercise at Camp Ripley, Minnesota. Over half of the Iowa Army National Guard formations will directly participate in or support this exercise along with units from 5 other states. This collaborative training event is a significant stepping-stone in building ready units for their assigned capabilities and future missions.

These extensive exercises and support missions often necessitate additional duty days for many of our soldiers and airmen, requiring them to go beyond their normal 39 days of training a year. We realize these specialized opportunities place additional burden on families and employers and we want to continue to thank them for their support and understanding. We also want to recognize the great work of our volunteers with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, whose assistance helps to promote cooperation and understanding between Service Members and their civilian employers.

In addition to training, readiness includes manning our formations. It is imperative for the readiness of our organization that we meet or exceed strength requirements. Today, I am proud to say, the Iowa National Guard is at 99.5% of our required strength and we ended 2023 with a retention rate of over 80%.

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Since late 2021, however, our recruiting success has slowed, and we are dealing with the challenges that are being felt across the Department of Defense in respect to military recruiting. But as we continue to maneuver through this environment, we have experienced improvements over the last quarter, and we will continue to apply effort, energy, and resources to our recruiting and personnel readiness.

One of these efforts includes filling our recruiting ranks with professional soldiers and airmen who not only recruit but lead our young men and women with character and integrity. In many areas across Iowa, our recruiting force is the face of the Iowa National Guard, and it is our objective to ensure our recruiters build trust, confidence, and partnerships within our communities.

We appreciate the openness of the schools and we thank administrators who are willing to work with us as we educate young people about the opportunities to serve while still seeking career or educational goals here in the state of Iowa.

With the generous support of the legislature through Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Funds, we continue to maintain and upgrade our facilities across the state.

This past year we have completed projects at Readiness Centers including in Carroll, Mason City, Clinton, Storm Lake, Boone, Oskaloosa, Davenport, Cedar Rapids, Knoxville, and Muscatine.

On Camp Dodge in Johnston, this included upgrades to key utilities infrastructure on post as well as ongoing lifecycle renovations to our Joint Forces Headquarters, which in addition to the Iowa National Guard, hosts several other state agencies.

Your continued support of our facilities allows us to bring in matching federal dollars and provides the infrastructure needed to support Iowa and our nation in times of need.

We broke ground this past year on our newest Readiness Center, located on Veterans Parkway in West Des Moines. This 24-million-dollar facility, 75% of which was funded by the federal government, is scheduled to open in the spring of 2025, with capacity for over 200 soldiers, their vehicles and their equipment.

For the Iowa Air National Guard, the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City completed a 13-million-dollar federal renovation of their air crew operations building, which added new global communication capabilities and air-crew facilities while posturing for future missions.

Moving forward, our military construction priorities are focused on the multi-million-dollar capital improvements needed for the runway and ramp at the Sioux City Gateway Airport and the 185th Air Refueling Wing. Without these improvements we are at risk of losing the air refueling mission in Sioux City and being overlooked for future aeronautical missions.

We continue to educate, posture, and work with our Iowa Congressional delegation, National Guard Bureau, the Federal Aviation Administration, and our Siouxland partners to include the city of Sioux City, the Siouxland Chamber, and the Sioux City Gateway Airport to secure federal support and funding to posture the wing for future and expanded capabilities.

Additionally, the Governors of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota collectively signed a letter of support during the 2023 Tri-State Governor’s Conference, supporting the Sioux City runway replacement.

As the Army and the Air Force continue to modernize their force for future demands, we continue to communicate with the National Guard Bureau, Department of the Army, and Department of the Air Force regarding changes in mission and structure that may impact the Iowa National Guard. Our goal is to maintain our current size, provide a variety of opportunities for our soldiers and airmen, and remain relevant in the future military environment of 2030 and beyond.

We have made communication a top priority by telling our story and being more integrated within our communities across the state. This past year we were involved in more community engagements than we have been in years. We continue to send the message that our doors are open, and you are always welcome to visit our readiness centers. We invite everyone to come see firsthand the professionalism of our service

Members and gain a better understanding of the Iowa National Guard.

Last year we conducted community engagement events at various readiness centers across the state where we invited community leaders and businesses to join us to learn more about their local unit and hear the incredible stories of their local service members and why they serve.

These events were held in Knoxville, Middletown, Boone, Waterloo, Storm Lake, and Carroll. This year we will be visiting Cedar Rapids, Mason City, Davenport, Dubuque, and Council Bluffs and we invite all of you to attend if available.

Another example of community engagement is the Innovative Readiness Training project completed in Woodbine this past year. This is a Department of Defense military training initiative that delivers joint training opportunities to increase deployment readiness while simultaneously providing key services such as health care, construction, transportation, or cybersecurity with lasting benefits for American communities. This training project provided hands on training for 30 airmen with the Civil Engineering Squadron out of the 185th Air Refueling Wing, where they completed the construction of a new STEM classroom for the Woodbine School District.

And finally, as part of our continued communication efforts, we are very excited to share with the legislature our newest annual report magazine. It’s a visual summary that details our units, our missions, who we are, what activities we participate in and the economic impact across the state.

This is another opportunity for us to tell our story and we have provided copies to everyone.

Looking toward the future, we will continue to prioritize our people, ensuring they have the resources, training, and support they need to succeed. We will maintain our commitment to readiness, constantly adapting and preparing for the challenges that lie ahead. Modernization will remain a top priority as we strive to stay at the forefront of military capabilities, and we will continue to strengthen our communication channels, fostering a culture of collaboration and transparency.

We are truly blessed to live in a state where our men and women are willing to serve, willing to answer the call, and willing to support the needs of our state and nation. It is a commitment carried forward by each one of our soldiers and airmen. So let me again express my gratitude for your continued support.

It is your support that has allowed us to develop and grow the Iowa National Guard Service Scholarship into an incredible benefit for Iowans to gain a college education while serving in the Iowa National Guard.

And I look forward to working with you as we seek to modify the Iowa National Guard Service Scholarship and expand the reach of the current program to include greater credentialing and certification opportunities for our service members.

This modification is an opportunity for Iowa Guard Service Members to receive a post-secondary certificate or competency-based credentials with already approved state funding.

So, ladies and gentlemen, it has been my honor to present to you the Condition of the Guard. The Iowa National Guard is strong and I am confident that we will remain strong with our dedicated soldiers, airmen, and civilian employees, and we will continue to be ready for the next call.

We are your citizen soldiers and airmen who live here, work here, and serve this great state of Iowa.

God Bless our men and women in uniform, God Bless the great State of Iowa, God Bless the United States, thank you so very much for listening.

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Rep. Amy Sinclair: Will the committee to escort the Major General please come forward and escort Major General Osborn from the House Chamber?

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Funding for this program is provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation.