missions to repair and rebuild Iraq. By the fall of 2007, the brigade enjoyed successes both in combat operations and along all major lines of operation: security, economic, essential services and governance. In January 2008, the brigade returned to Fort Hood, Texas after 15 months of continuous combat operations and began preparing to return to Iraq in January 2009 to the Sadr City and Adhamiyah neighborhoods of Baghdad as part of Multi-National Division Baghdad. The brigade was diverted at the last minute to support operations in northern Iraq. At the time, Kirkuk was generally considered to be one of the most contentious areas in Iraq. The Black Jack Brigade conducted a partnership ceremony with the Iraqi Police and 12th Iraqi Army Division at Forward Operating Base Warrior on 14 February 2009. Kirkuk had been the only Iraqi province that did not participate in the January 2009 provincial elections due to outstanding political disputes. The fate of the ethnically diverse province, an unknown combination of primarily Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen and Assyrian ethnicities, had not yet been resolved. The mission of the brigade was to reduce the tension among the northern Iraq Kurds and Arabs and to disrupt the very active insurgency that was limiting forward progress for Kirkuk. The Black Jack Brigade partnered with Iraqi police, the 12th Iraqi Army Division, and provincial and local civilian leadership to reduce violence by nearly 80 percent in one year. They also worked to significantly improve economic opportunities throughout the province by leveraging projects to create nearly 16,000 jobs in an area that was suffering from approximately 30 percent unemployment. They were replaced by the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division on 20 December 2009. In March 2010, Kirkuk participated in national elections for the first time since the invasion in 2003, with approximately 79-percent voter participation and no reported acts of violence. Afghanistan The brigade also deployed to Afghanistan during 2013–2014. South Korea The brigade was deployed to South Korea June 2017- Feb 2018 Germany In October 2019, the Brigade deployed to the European continent in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. The Brigade is operating in Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, and Georgia. Decorations Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered PLEIKU PROVINCE Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered FISH HOOK Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered IRAQ 1991 Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945 Republic of