DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds has selected Brig. Gen. Stephen E. Osborn as the 28th Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard.  

“General Osborn has been an invaluable member of the Iowa National Guard as our state has faced natural disasters, a pandemic, and civil unrest,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “Iowans can trust that the Iowa National Guard stands ready and prepared under General Osborn’s proven leadership capabilities.  He is a trusted advisor with a wealth of command experience at both home and abroad.” 

Osborn is a native of Davenport, Iowa. He enlisted in the Army in July 1984 prior to commissioning as an infantry officer through the University of Alabama in 1990. He transferred to the Iowa Army National Guard in 1992 and has served in a variety of command and staff positions, to include: commander of the 1st Battalion,168th Infantry Regiment; deputy operations officer, 34th Infantry Division; director of operations, Joint Force Headquarters; commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division; and director of the Joint Staff.  

Osborn is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College. He deployed to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in 1991 in support of the Persian Gulf War. He deployed to Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guardian in 2004 and to Iraq in 2009 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  

His significant awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Expert Infantryman’s Badge and Pathfinder Badge.  

He has served as the Iowa Army National Guard’s deputy adjutant general since August 2018 and as the deputy commanding general of the Army National Guard at the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia. 

Osborn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alabama, a Master of Public Administration from Drake University and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. 

The adjutant general is the highest-ranking position in the Iowa National Guard. Osborn will manage more than 2,000 federal and state full-time employees as well as nearly 9,000 part-time Soldiers and Airmen.   

Osborn will replace Maj. Gen. Benjamin J. Corell, who has served as the adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard since September 2019. Corell announced his retirement from the position in January 2023.