KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — U.S. Postal Service plans to stop Saturday letter deliveries will not affect overseas military post offices, according to the military’s top postal official in Europe.

“Because the US Postal Service does not deliver mail to APOs [Army post offices], a decision to cease Saturday delivery will have no effect on military mail,” William Kiser, the theater postal officer for U.S. European Command said in a statement.

Stateside, Saturday delivery of regular mail is expected to end by August — a move that is expected to save the ailing organization some $2 billion a year, according to the Postal Service. The service will continue delivering packages six days a week.

For military customers overseas, all mail shipments “will continue as usual and will still be loaded onto commercial airlines for movement to Europe seven days a week,” Kiser said.

A EUCOM official confirmed the same will hold true for all overseas military locations, including the Pacific and Middle East.

Kiser also noted that lithium batteries once banned for shipment by some European countries and airlines can now be shipped to and from military and diplomatic post offices in Europe.

“Shipments of devices containing lithium batteries are being shipped to and from APO, FPO and DPO locations without any problems as long as the battery is installed in its intended device,” Kiser said in the statement.

A similar ban in the Pacific was lifted in November.

millhamm@estripes.osd.mil

