What Is a Fleet Post Office?
A fleet post office or FPO, a branch of a civilian post office of the U.S. Postal System, operates under the Department of Defense and serves personnel serving in U.S. Navy installations and ships.
1 FPO Mail Handling
Because FPO mail bears either a U.S. military destination or return address, the Department of Defense handles it at some point of its delivery.
2 Overseas Delivery
FPO mail can either originate from or be sent to addresses outside the U.S., and includes both personal and official communications.
3 Processing
FPO mail undergoes processing at centralized facilities in New York and San Francisco. Letters arrive in sleeved half trays, flats in sleeved plastic flat tubs, and parcels in sacks.
4 ZIP Codes
FPOs have ZIP code numbers similar to those of their respective U.S. cities. This allows the U.S. Postal Service sorting machines to correctly process FPO mail.
5 Delivery
After the USPS sorts FPO mail addressed to overseas destinations, the Navy delivers it to its personnel at FPOs similar to civilian post offices that place the mail into a lock box for each address holder.
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