Postal Service Recognizes the Department of Defense at 2008 National Postal Forum

Merrifield VA — The U.S. Postal Service today recognized the Department of Defense with its Corporate Business Achievement Award for the company’s commitment to a successful business partnership with the Postal Service. At each National Postal Forum, a select group of Postal customers is acknowledged and recognized for their contributions to the continued success of the mailing industry.

The Corporate Business Achievement Award, one of three “best in class” awards presented annually at the Forum, recognizes the Department of Defense business partnership with the U.S. Postal Service and commitment to using postal products and services to strengthen and grow its business.

The Military Postal Service Agency (MPSA) provides Department of Defense personnel, their family members and other authorized users, mail services around the world. The Military Postal Service Agency was created to link all the partners together with a common goal - postal service to Department of Defense personnel around the world. Their customers receive the same level of service worldwide, as though they were at home in the United States.

To move military mail, the services of the United States Postal Service, US Transportation Command, Military Sealift Command, Air Mobility Command and Military Transportation Command play vital roles. They move their mail on commercial and military aircraft and commercial sealift vessels, to nearly two thousand military post offices and located in over 85 countries, including Navy and Coast Guard ships. The MPSA consolidates, sorts, posts and presents mail to the Postal Service for approximately 15 Military Commands and 12 Federal Agencies. The MPSA further operates efficiently and effectively in support of its military customers by the use of USPS addressing enhancement tools to minimize the number of undeliverable as addressed mail pieces.  

The MPSA desired to build a stronger partnership with the USPS.  The USPS was invited to visit key DOD command centers, throughout the Continental United States (CONUS). USPS management agreed to the tour of 47 bases from August through September of 2007.  The goal was to educate DOD installations on new USPS offerings and to ensure that all were operating at high efficiency, as there had been issues in the past where locations were shipping product for outrageous prices from competitors of USPS. The education tour aimed to add more value to the 4,000 DOD sites through the use of Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes for Official Consolidated Mail. CMF’s increased USPS revenue and reduced DOD costs, through postal efficiencies such as shape based shipping.  

The MPSA & USPS have met with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness, the Comptroller of the DOD, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Defense Logistics Director & Vice Director, the CTO of Tri-Care & 35 base commanders, 13 base executive officers, five hospital commanding officers, five command execs (two star and higher), 11 agency senior executives and 250 Official Mail Managers.  Significant opportunities are underway on the Voting Awareness Program, Return-Recycle, and Military Plus 1 – shipping & Recruiting.

“I congratulate the Department of Defense for having recognized the vital importance of innovation, teamwork, communications and customer satisfaction using the mail,” said Susan Plonkey, vice president, customer service.

The National Postal Forum is the mailing industry’s premier trade show and event. More than 7,000 industry professionals attend the four-day conference that features 140 workshops and special sessions, four symposiums and 13 professional certificate programs.

For more information on the 2008 National Postal Forum, visit www.npf.org.