SEOUL, South Korea — The Army is sending more than 100 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to South Korea to boost troop protection capabilities as tensions rise on the divided peninsula.

The decision is a reversal after a 2012 feasibility study found that MRAPs — famous for saving countless lives from roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan — weren’t suitable for maneuver battalions in South Korea.

The 8th Army says it began fielding MRAPs and smaller versions known as M-ATVs in late December and was on track to complete the deployment to multiple locations by the end of February.

The armored vehicles, with their V-shaped hulls, will provide soldiers “a more durable battle proven armor configuration and provide improved crew survivability” as they maneuver “over the most grueling terrain,” 8th Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Catina Barnes-Ricks told Stars and Stripes Friday in an email.

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