Military Relocation to Iowa
Iowa's military-relocation picture centers on the Iowa National Guard rather than a major active-duty installation: Camp Dodge in Johnston (Des Moines metro), headquarters of the Iowa Army National Guard's roughly 7,000 soldiers, alongside the 132nd Wing's roughly 900-personnel Iowa Air National Guard fighter wing at the Des Moines Air National Guard Base.
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Learn moreCamp Dodge anchors Iowa's National Guard headquarters and its largest concentration of Guard personnel
Camp Dodge, in Johnston (part of the Des Moines metro), is the real, verified headquarters of the Iowa National Guard, per this pass's own research. The Iowa Army National Guard comprises approximately 7,000 soldiers organized into four major subordinate commands -- the 2nd Battalion, 34th Infantry Brigade Combat Team; the 734th Regional Support Command; the 67th Troop Command; and the 671st Troop Command -- with the combined Iowa National Guard (Army and Air together) totaling approximately 9,000 service members. Camp Dodge also hosts the Sustainment Training Center, Joint Forces Headquarters, the state's emergency operations center, an Iowa Law Enforcement Academy site, and a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS).
The 132nd Wing anchors Iowa's Air National Guard fighter presence at Des Moines International Airport
The 132nd Wing, nicknamed 'the Hawkeyes,' is the Iowa Air National Guard's fighter wing, based at the Des Moines Air National Guard Base (located at Des Moines International Airport), per this pass's own research -- a real unit of approximately 900 personnel. This gives the Des Moines metro a real, direct military-employment and family-support presence alongside Camp Dodge's larger Army Guard footprint.
Iowa offers real, disclosed veteran-specific property tax benefits
Iowa's Disabled Veteran Homestead Tax Credit provides a full property tax exemption -- the entire amount of tax levied on a homestead -- for veterans with a 100% service-connected disability rating, or a permanent and total individual-unemployability rating paid at the 100% rate, per this pass's own research into the Iowa Department of Revenue's own guidance. Separately, a Military Service Tax Exemption reduces taxable value by $1,852 for all honorably discharged veterans regardless of disability status -- though a veteran electing the disabled-veteran credit is not eligible to also claim this separate exemption.
What Iowa-bound military families and veterans should research directly
Military families and veterans considering an Iowa move, particularly to the Camp Dodge/Johnston/Des Moines-metro area, should research current housing, schools, and family-support resources directly with the Iowa National Guard, alongside confirming their own eligibility for the Disabled Veteran Homestead Tax Credit or Military Service Tax Exemption directly with their county assessor, since the two benefits are mutually exclusive per household.
Key takeaways
- Camp Dodge, in Johnston (Des Moines metro), headquarters the Iowa National Guard -- approximately 7,000 Iowa Army National Guard soldiers across four major subordinate commands, plus roughly 9,000 total service members combining Army and Air components.
- The 132nd Wing ('the Hawkeyes'), the Iowa Air National Guard's fighter wing at the Des Moines Air National Guard Base, is a real unit of approximately 900 personnel.
- Iowa's Disabled Veteran Homestead Tax Credit provides a full property tax exemption for veterans with a 100% service-connected disability rating.
- A separate Military Service Tax Exemption reduces taxable value by $1,852 for all honorably discharged veterans, but is mutually exclusive with the disabled-veteran credit -- confirm eligibility directly with your county assessor.
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