David H. Patterson Jr., the chief of the Eight Army Public Affairs, told Yonhap News Agency.

"At this time, the MRAP fielding plan is on schedule and will be completed by the end of February 2017," Patterson said. "MRAPs provide soldiers (with) a more durable battle proven armor configuration and provide improved crew survivability."

Noting that the deployment decision was made by the US Department of the Army, the senior officer pointed out that US Army units throughout Korea, including Camp Casey in Dongducheon, north of Seoul, and Humphreys, south of the capital, will receive the MRAPs.

MRAPs with V-shaped, blast-deflecting hulls were mobilized to counter threats from improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, and other roadside explosives during high-risk missions in the Middle East, which used to be carried out mostly by High Mobility, Multi-Wheeled Vehicles, or Humvees.

With the winding down of major ground operations in the Middle East, the US military has been grappling with the issue of how to utilize the high-maintenance vehicles. Some damaged MRAPs have reportedly been sold as scrap metal.

The deployment came amid growing talk of possible instability in the North under Kim Jong-un. Observers say that the leader in his 30s appears to be unpredictable and reckless, carrying out a slew of provocative acts since he took the reins of power upon his father's death in late 2011.

Last year alone, Pyongyang conducted two nuclear tests and launched 24 ballistic missiles and long-range rockets. The provocations resulted in two UN Security Council resolutions entailing tougher-than-ever sanctions that have deepened the regime's international isolation and economic hardships.

On Feb. 12, the North sharply raised military tension by testing a new intermediate-range ballistic missile. A day later, Kim Jong-nam, the North's current leader's half brother, was killed in an apparent assassination.

Further fueling the talk of instability is a growing number of defectors, including those from the North's top echelons. Seoul has cited the defections as a telltale sign of "cracks" in the communist state's governing system.

Observers said that MRAPs could be employed in case of a regime collapse or an armed conflict during which allied troops might have to maneuver across the border strewn with landmines and other explosive devices.

MRAPs can also be used for security operations in enemy territory where ambush attacks with roadside bombs could be mounted, or for a post-conflict stabilization campaign north of the inter-Korean border, experts pointed out.

"The MRAPs are very useful military vehicles that can be employed when there is a need for ground forces to move quickly across the heavily fortified border and rapidly carry out ground-based operations in the North," Park Won-gon, security expert at Handong Global University, told Yonhap News.

"In case of sudden developments, speedy movement is critical. MRAPs will help transport ground troops into the North if need be, given that we cannot only rely on the capability of the Air Force to transport forces effectively," he added. (Yonhap)