# United States Postal Service **Aliases:** USPS; Postal Service **Entity class:** Independent establishment of the executive branch ## Definition The **United States Postal Service** operates the national postal network. Its FY2025 annual report listed 624,492 employees. That workforce is an infrastructure and occupational population, not an investigative workforce. Authorized [[wiki/Mail Cover|mail covers]] illustrate a narrower interface: designated Postal Service or Postal Inspection Service personnel can record exterior mail information for an approved operation without making the entire postal workforce intelligence personnel. ## Relationships - **law-enforcement arm:** [[wiki/United States Postal Inspection Service|USPIS]]. - **investigative technique:** [[wiki/Mail Cover|Mail Cover]]. - **measurement distinction:** workforce size versus episodic authorized participation. ## Sources / Provenance - [USPS — FY2025 Annual Report to Congress](https://about.usps.com/what/financials/annual-reports/fy2025.pdf) - [USPS OIG — Mail Covers Program Phase II, September 28, 2016](https://www.uspsoig.gov/reports/audit-reports/us-postal-inspection-service-mail-covers-program-phase-ii)