On 5 August 2006 Task Force "Blue Spader" deployed to Eastern Baghdad. The battalion's B Company was cross attached to TF 1-77 Armor, in return TF 1-26 Infantry received B Company, 1-77 Armor, B Company, 9th Engineers, a fire support team from 1-7 Field Artillery, and a maintenance support team from 299th Forward Support Battalion. Task Force 1-26 Infantry operated as the primary maneuver element in the Eastern Baghdad area. The unit returned to Schweinfurt, Germany, in December 2007. Thirty-one soldiers from the battalion lost their lives during the deployment.