Savings Available Through Reduced Use of Air Parcel Post Shipment by the Department of Defense

In fiscal year 1970 the Post Office Department billed the military departments about $177 million for costs it had incurred to ship military mail by various modes of transportation. Prior work performed by the General Accounting Office (GAO) indicated that military supplies were being shipped by air parcel post although they could have been shipped by more economical methods. That practice is contrary to the stated policy of the military departments, which is to employ the method that will effect delivery of supplies by the required time at the lowest cost to the Government. This review was made to examine into the extent and effect of the practice at selected Army, Navy, and Air Force installations.