Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, the head of the Iowa National Guard, asked lawmakers to improve the Iowa National Guard Service Scholarship and add exceptions to the state’s chronic absenteeism law for high school military recruits and members in his Condition of the Guard address Thursday morning at the Iowa State Capitol.

Osborn also announced construction will begin on a $14 million Army National Guard maintenance facility in Sioux City later this year, and said the Guard is securing funding for a $95 million runway replacement in Sioux City.

The adjutant general began his speech highlighting the 9,000 members of the Iowa National Guard — 700 of whom were deployed for the Iowa floods, Hurricane Helene and Operation Lonestar at the southwest border, as well as missions in the the Middle East, Guam and Kosovo.

“From natural disaster relief efforts to international deployments, our service members have met every challenge with excellence and a steadfast commitment to serve and protect the people of Iowa and our nation,” Osborn said.

Osborn highlighted collaborations with community leaders, nonprofits and governmental organizations, including partnerships with local law enforcement through the National Guard Counterdrug Program and a partnership with the Kosovo Security Force. He also recognized the contributions of individuals in the Iowa National Guard and Iowa Department of Public Defense.

Adding new jobs and improving facilities

Osborn said this year the Iowa Guard will create 137 positions to work in cyber operations, contingency response, field artillery and combat engineering.

The adjutant general said the guard will open a $24 million West Des Moines Readiness Center in May, which will serve the West Des Moines Fire Department and the Iowa National Guard. He said the facility was funded through state and federal funds.

He also announced the Guard will start construction on the federally funded Army Guard maintenance facility in Sioux City towards the end of the summer. After the address, Osborn called the current facility “antiquated,” and said it’s too small and “almost dangerous” for working on new Army vehicles.

The guard is also working on securing funding for a $95 million runway replacement in Sioux City. He said the area needs a thicker and stronger runway due to the types of planes the Air Force operates there. The project could take around two years, depending on funding.

Osborn anticipates receiving funding from the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the military, but he said progress on funding could take a “step backwards” with the new administration and secretary of the Air Force.

Osborn said runway construction will shut down military traffic, but it will be rerouted to surrounding airports. Civilian traffic will not be affected because it uses different runways.

Expanding educational resources members

Osborn said his top priority this legislative session is improving the Iowa National Guard Service Scholarship.

The adjutant general asked legislators to expand the Iowa National Guard Service Scholarship to include certified Department of Labor trades programs and STEM-related credentialing programs. Currently, the scholarship is available to students pursuing a certificate or undergraduate degree at an eligible Iowa college or institution.

Under the proposed bill, students could use the scholarship towards a “credential,” which could be a post-secondary certificate and “other competency-based credential” that does not qualify for federal student aid.

“We know that in today’s world, community colleges, a lot of our universities are offering short-term credentialing programs,” he said after the address. “We’re really focused in the STEM-related fields and the trades related fields for short-term credentialing and certificate programs that allow our people to use that source.”

To support this expansion of the scholarship, Osborn requested service members be required to complete federal military tuition assistance before being able to apply for state tuition assistance.

Addressing chronic absenteeism in teenage military members

The major general also asked for lawmakers to make an exemption to the state’s chronic absenteeism law for high school military members and recruits.

People can sign up for the guard at age 17 with their parent’s permission and can participate in training to prepare for basic training. He said, although training does not typically conflict with school hours, evaluations at Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) could conflict, given the stations are only open on weekdays.

After he gave the address, Osborn said around 400 17 year olds are part of the guard across the state.

“We’re speaking for the military as a whole in Iowa, any young person — young man or woman — that wants to join the military and they haven’t graduated high school yet,” he said. “They’re going to have to take a day off of school to come to Des Moines to take the test and the physical — not just the guard, but everybody.”

Improving recruitment and community engagement efforts

Osborn said in the past few years, the guard has been focused on engaging with communities.

”Everybody analyzed the recruitment issues over the last few years — COVID probably had something to do with it, 20 years of war probably had something to do with it,” he said after the address. “I truly believe when 9/11 hit, the National Guard, the Army Reserve, our community based military entities really focused on training and preparing to deploy and deploy. And we lost touch with our communities.”

He said American Rescue Plan Act funding for a pilot incentive program has also helped boost numbers, and the guard plans on continuing community engagement through businesses, media and local leaders.

Osborn said the guard had an 83% retention rate in fiscal year 2024 and has gained over 400 new members since Oct. 1 — the highest rate in over five years.