Coming and going postal: APO down-low

With more than 1,900 APO zip codes scattered across the globe, APO mail is a colossal system the Department of Defense manages, giving U.S. government employees working overseas a system that allows them to mail items as if they were in the U.S.

In 2006, the APO mail system moved approximately 100,000 tons of mail, which is the equivalent of moving about 20,000 elephants or more than 1,000 fully loaded

C-17 Globemasters III. This was accomplished with 1,978 flight segments utilizing 45 commercial air carriers that have contracts with the DOD to transport APO mail. 

All that movement costs money.

The DOD spent $39 million on the APO system moving mail in and out of the European Command theater in 2006, said Tech. Sgt. Craig Thomas, 2nd Air Postal Squadron command postal manager, who has worked in the APO system since 1991. Not only does DOD provide APO mail to the military, but also to U.S. citizens working in embassies and consulates overseas. 

Two of the most common questions people have are, “where does my mail go?” and “why don’t military aircraft carry APO mail?”

A package mailed from Ramstein and addressed for Bangor, Maine, for example, is sorted at the post office and tagged for its destination. It is then placed on a mail truck and taken to the Frankfurt Aerial Mail Terminal where Air Force personnel sort through the mail and place all mail going to New York City in a mail container that is weighed and a pay document is created to ensure the airline taking the container is paid.

The package is placed on a commercial airliner and flown overseas. Once the package arrives in New York – one of five gateway air mail centers APO mail uses – it is processed through customs and then passed to the U.S. Postal Service, who continues the delivery of the item, said Sergeant Thomas. 

“If you are on a commercial airline flight from Frankfurt to JFK Airport, I can almost guarantee there is APO mail on your flight,” he said. 

But why are commercial airliners used and not military aircraft?

Sergeant Thomas said it is cheaper and faster to move mail on commercial airliners.  Military aircraft do not fly hard lines and are specifically flown for flexibility in ever-changing missions and operations tempo. Although there are a small number of military aircraft that transport APO mail to locations throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, the majority of it is flown with commercial airliners, he said. 

“APO mail is a tremendous morale booster,” said Lt. Col. Mitchell Maddox, 2nd AIRPS squadron commander. “Dedicated servicemembers from all branches work day-in, day-out to ensure delivery, transport and receipt of the mail.”