AG/1/22/9

27 Oct 08

Arms and Service Directorates (for onward transmission to Regimental Associations)

MOD POLICY ON UNSOLICITED MAIL TO OPERATIONS

I am writing to inform you of the Ministry of Defence’s current policy with regard to unsolicited mail, and to seek your support with regard to the practical implementation of making the policy work.  

Let me say at the outset that Service personnel on operations are hugely appreciative of the support shown to them by the public and particularly of the support shown by Regimental Associations and charities.  However, you may be aware that around Christmas last year the BFPO mail system and indeed the in-theatre logistic systems were completely swamped by ‘unsolicited’ parcels to service personnel from well meaning members of the public, with the consequence that personal mail from friends and families suffered significant delays.

In light of last year’s experience the Ministry of Defence conducted an extensive study of the postal arrangements to theatre to work out the art of the possible.  The extant arrangements for friends and families, known as the Enduring Families Free Mail Service, which allows those closest to our personnel to send packages of up to 2kgs out to operational theatres remains at the core of the mail provision.  However, the inescapable conclusion of the study, which has been endorsed by the Minister for the Armed Forces, is that the impact of accepting ‘unsolicited’ mail on the supply chain is unsupportable and cannot be justified.  In brief the factors which led to that conclusion are:

• Goodwill parcels sent by people other than families and friends place a strain on the logistic supply chain whose primary purpose is to make sure troops in theatre are properly equipped with fuel, rations, spares, ammunition, and other essential items, to enable them to operate effectively.  Such parcels delay personal mail.

• The delivery of such mail to forward operating bases would necessitate additional resupply flights and convoys which would place our personnel at additional risk. 

• The cost of extending the current system to accept ‘unsolicited’ mail, based on a modest 2-fold increase, would be £19M per year. 

• Such an extension would require in-theatre Postal and Courier Service enhancements as well as the military augmentation of BFPO in UK which we are not currently in a position to provide

In these circumstances I am seeking your support to ensure that your Regimental Associations and their local branches’ goodwill, which can often be manifested by a desire to do something, is focussed in a manner that can most effectively support our personnel.  Clearly we would not wish to discourage them from sending packages to soldiers who are known to them.  However, I would ask that you seek to dissuade them from sending ‘generic’ parcels which are not destined for a specific recipient.  You may wish to encourage a focus on the families of those away, or, alternatively demonstrating this support for our people on their return.

I suspect that there may be some branches that have already prepared parcels for Christmas who will now be seeking to put them into the system.  Whilst we are extremely grateful for their efforts it is only fair that they should know that Post Offices have been instructed not to accept parcels unless they are addressed to a specified individual. 

It is also worth bearing in mind that, in addition to whatever families may send out, every serviceman and woman on operations over Christmas will receive a gift box containing suitable gifts from a MOD-endorsed charity (UK4U Thanks!).  This year’s 24,000 boxes were packed at the start of this month and are already moving through the logistic supply chains to ensure they reach their recipients by Christmas Day.

Apart from UK4U Thanks!, there are many other Service charities which support our people.  The MOD has just launched a dedicated web page[1] with the details of these charities which may be of interest to your Regimental Associations and their local branches.

I much regret that we are having to do this, not least as I received, and appreciated very much, such a parcel myself last Christmas.  However, I believe that the logic set out above is compelling.

AG