The Overseas Military Mail Agreement

• Decades ago, the Department of Defense and the U.S. Postal Service worked out a formal agreement for the handling of military mail. This agreement is called Overseas Military Mail.
  
  

The Three Military Mail "States"

• According to ShipitAPO.com, the U.S. Postal Service has designated three military "states" that adhere to the standard postal service addressing schemes. These states are AA (Armed Forces America), AE (Armed Forces Europe) and AP (Armed Forces Pacific).
  
  

The Two Military Mail "Cities"

• In addition to military mail states, there are two military mail cities: APO (Army Post Office) for the U.S. Army and FPO (Fleet Post Office) for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
  
  

The Three U.S. Miitary Mail "Hubs"

• There are three city "hubs" in the United States that deal with all incoming and outgoing military mail. They are Miami, Fla., for the AA (Armed Forces America); New York, NY, for the AE (Armed Forces Europe); and San Francisco, Calif., for the AP (Armed Forces Pacific).
  
  

The Military Postal Service Agency

• All domestic military mail concerns are dealt with by the U.S. Postal Services, but when it comes to actually shipping and receiving overseas military mail, the Military Postal Service Agency (MSPA) steps in. According to the MSPA website, the MSPA ships military mail to and from more than 85 countries.