Guide

Can Foreign Military Sales materiel be sent by parcel post or courier?

Updated 3 October 2026Checked against the SAMM: 26 September 2026

Yes, for small parcels. They can move by the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial small parcel carrier, by a method that lets the shipment be traced and tracked. A military post office address overseas can be used only if the Letter of Offer and Acceptance specifically authorizes it and the post office agrees in writing to receive security cooperation shipments, and the purchaser bears the cost. Classified materiel leaving the United States moves only through the cleared channels the manual names, such as the Defense Courier Service.

Can Foreign Military Sales materiel be sent by parcel post or courier?

The USPS defines a small parcel as an item that weighs up to seventy pounds and measures up to 130 inches in combined length and girth. Transportation officers are authorized to use either the USPS parcel post facilities or commercial package carrier equivalents, such as UPS or FedEx for small parcel shipments.

SAMM C7.6.2.4 — Small Parcel Shipments.

Small parcel releases use commercial small parcel carriers, U.S. Postal Service (USPS), or methods that allow for shipments to be traced and tracked. Overseas movement via the Military Postal Service (Army or Air Force Post Office (APO) or Fleet Post Office (FPO)) is used if certain conditions are met. First, use of an APO or FPO must be specifically authorized in an LOA. Second, the APO or FPO addressees must give written approval that they accept responsibility for receiving SC shipments. An APO or FPO might be recommended if a shipment is classified and the purchaser does not have approved facilities to receive classified items in the United States, though not all Military Postal Service addresses handle classified materiel. An APO or FPO may not have the capacity or manpower to handle a large volume of Security Cooperation (SC) shipments and may require above-the-line charges for the increased volume over an extended period of time. The purchaser must bear the cost of such shipments. For transmission outside of the United States. and its territorial areas, SECRET and CONFIDENTIAL materiel may only be transmitted by cleared U.S. contractors in accordance with National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM), or by DoD entities in accordance with DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 3, enclosure 4. TOP SECRET material may only be transmitted by Defense Courier Service (DCS), Department of State Courier System, or the written authorization of the Government Contracting Authority.

Synced 11 September 2026 · View on samm.dsca.mil

When shipping via domestic parcel post or commercial carrier equivalents, the transportation service selected must provide proof of entry into the transportation network and proof of delivery to the consignee.

FMS issues from a stock point to a given addressee will be consolidated for shipment purposes to the greatest extent possible consistent with customer requirements. Consolidation of line items into containers or shipment units will be limited to the same U.S. sponsoring service, the same FMS case designator, the same “Mark-for” and “Ship-to/Freight Forwarder” locations, and the same priority designator (designators 01-08 may be mixed but not with lower priorities). When items are consolidated, the container should be marked to indicate a consolidated shipment.

References

Drawn exclusively from publicly available authorities.

SAMM

SAMM C7.6.2.4 — Small Parcel Shipments.
SAMM C7.6.2.5 — Next Generation Delivery Services.
SAMM C7.6.2.6 — Defense Courier Service.

GuideShould a Foreign Military Sales purchaser use a freight forwarder or the Defense Transportation System?GuideWho is responsible for shipping in a Foreign Military Sale?GuideHow is classified materiel shipped in FMS?GuideHow are Foreign Military Sales shipments packed and marked?

Can Foreign Military Sales materiel be sent by parcel post or courier?

Can Foreign Military Sales materiel be sent by parcel post or courier?

References

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