In his annual Condition of the Guard address before the Iowa Legislature, Major General Stephen Osborn publicly affirmed the depth and maturity of the Iowa–Kosovo security partnership, citing fifteen years of joint training, Kosovo’s first-ever deployment of an infantry company alongside a U.S. brigade at the Joint Readiness Training Center, and the enlistment of a Kosovo citizen into the Iowa Air National Guard as evidence that the relationship has evolved from cooperation into shared service, trust, and lasting alliance.
By Klea Ukaj | 18 January 2026
There are moments in public life when words are not performative. They are earned.
That was the case this week in Des Moines, when Major General Stephen Osborn, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, stood before Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa General Assembly to deliver the annual Condition of the Guard address. Much of the speech was about sacrifice, deployments, and readiness. But one section, delivered plainly and without flourish, carried a different weight.
It was about Kosovo.
This was not a ceremonial mention. It was not a nod to diplomacy. It was a professional accounting of fifteen years of shared work—spoken in the language of soldiers who have trained together, deployed together, and learned to trust one another under pressure.
Importantly, these remarks were delivered in the presence of Kosovo’s senior defense leadership, including Lieutenant General Bashkim Yashari, Chief of Defense of the Kosovo Security Force. The recognition was direct. It was public. And it was grounded in experience.
Below is the full, unedited portion of Major General Osborn’s address devoted to Kosovo and the Kosovo Security Force, reproduced in full.
Major General Stephen Osborn — on Kosovo
Another key component of our readiness and a powerful example of how the Iowa National Guard contributes to security cooperation is our long-standing partnership with the Republic of Kosovo through the National Guard State Partnership Program.
For the past 15 years, Iowa soldiers and airmen have worked side by side with the Kosovo Security Force, building interoperability, trust, and shared understanding. Together, we have supported the KSF as they transition into a NATO interoperable territorial defense force, capable of protecting Kosovo's sovereignty and contributing to regional stability. In 2025 alone, we conducted 26 bilateral exchanges involving more than 500 soldiers and airmen.
These were not symbolic engagements. They were meaningful, hands-on efforts that strengthened capability, professionalism, and readiness on both sides. Most notably, after years of training together, the Kosovo Security Force attached an infantry company to Iowa's 2nd Brigade Combat Team during their Joint Readiness Training Center rotation.
This was the capstone of years of partnership and Kosovo's first opportunity to project military capability outside of its borders in support of a large-scale training mission, and their performance was exceptional. It was praised by JRTC observer controllers as highly professional. Our partnership is anchored in five lines of effort.
Maneuver, military medicine, sustainment, cyber defense, and professional development. But what truly sets Iowa's partnership apart is that this year, we proudly enlisted our first Kosovo citizen into the I-Air National Guard. Andran Gashi, a permanent resident seeking to become a U.S. citizen, joined the I-Air National Guard as a security forces airman.
His story reflects how this partnership has come full circle, from evolving from cooperation, to trust, to shared service, to citizenship. At its core, our partnership with Kosovo is about more than training events and exchanges. It's about shared values, mutual respect, and a commitment to peace and security, both home and abroad.
At this time, it is my distinct honor to recognize our distinguished guests, who represent the commitment of this partnership. Their presence today reaffirms the strength of our bond and the promise of what we continue to build together. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in recognizing Lieutenant General Bashkim Yashari, Chief of Defense of the Kosovo Security Force, Command Sergeant Major Bidri Zuka, Senior Enlisted Leader for the Kosovo Security Force, and Mr. Drilon Zogai, Counselor General of the Kosovo Consulate, right here in Des Moines.
What makes these remarks resonate is not their tone, but their specificity.
This is not the language of aspiration. It is the language of units, rotations, numbers, and performance. The attachment of a Kosovo infantry company to a U.S. brigade during a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation is not symbolic—it is operational trust. Praise from JRTC observer-controllers is not diplomatic courtesy—it is professional judgment.
And then there is the quiet moment that says the most: a Kosovo citizen enlisting in the Iowa Air National Guard.
That is what mature partnerships look like. They move beyond training events and memoranda. They enter the realm of shared service, shared risk, and shared civic responsibility.
In a chamber where the focus was Iowa—its soldiers, its families, its sacrifices—Kosovo was spoken of not as a recipient of support, but as a contributor. Not as a future ally, but as a present one.
For those who understand how rare that is, the message from Des Moines was clear: Kosovo’s security partnership with the United States is no longer a promise. It is a record.
About the author:
Klea Ukaj writes from Michigan and contributes to The Kosovo Dispatch’s trans-Atlantic coverage.
