Aerospace engineer Brian Kowis picks up a package from the parcel lockers at Camp Kosciuszko in Poznan, Poland, Oct. 21, 2025. The self-service lockers, part of a broader Installation Management Command-Europe initiative, give users the freedom to pick up mail at whatever time is convenient for them. (ShaTyra Cox/ Stars and Stripes)

POZNAN, Poland — Soldiers and civilians at the U.S. Army’s hub in central Poland no longer have to rush to the post office before it closes.

Camp Kosciuszko in Poznan is piloting a 24-hour parcel locker system that gives customers the freedom to pick up mail when it fits their schedule using a secure code system.

“This is about improving access and convenience,” postmaster Darrell McKown said. “Our goal was to reduce long wait times at the window and give customers more flexibility, especially those who work shifts or spend long hours in the field.”

Located inside the post office, the 60 lockers range from small boxes for letters to large compartments for bulkier shipments.

Customers receive an automated email with a QR code, PIN or Defense Department ID prompt and are directed to the receptacle containing their shipment.

The previous process required postal workers to scan the U.S. Postal Service label, type the recipient’s name, print and attach a local label, sort items onto the correct shelf and send an email notification.

The new process is simpler: scan the package, place it in a locker and send an email. Now, customers are notified within five to 10 minutes of scanning, with packages often being retrieved before staff finish loading all the lockers, McKown said.

U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph Seal, a postal operations clerk, stocks parcel lockers at the Camp Kosciuszko post office in Poznan, Poland, Oct. 23, 2025. The self-service lockers give users the freedom to pick up mail 24/7. (ShaTyra Cox/ Stars and Stripes)

The self-service lockers are the brainchild of Installation Management Command-Europe director Tommy Mize, who in 2023 began to push for them at installations around Europe, according to a May statement from U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach in Germany.

“This initiative is in line with our increased focus to leverage technology to enhance services and programs,” Mize said in the statement, which announced the arrival of the lockers at three Ansbach garrison locations.

The program to install the parcel lockers at other garrisons across Europe was intended to be finished by the end of October, according to the statement.

Camp Kosciuszko was selected for the pilot because it’s the only installation in Poland staffed by permanent IMCOM civilians rather than rotational soldiers. That stability allows consistent oversight and troubleshooting as the system is tested.

“Soldiers rotate in and out, but we’re here to maintain and refine the system,” McKown said. “We tend to break the code first on new processes. If it works here, it’ll work anywhere in Poland.”

Known colloquially as Camp K, the base became the Army’s first permanent garrison in Poland in March 2023.

McKown was one of the original 10 civilians who helped stand up Camp Kosciuszko six years ago.

“When I first got here, there was nothing but dust in the streets,” he said. “Now people walk in and think we’ve been here 20 years. That’s a good feeling.”

U.S. Army specialists Estefania San Javier and Wesley Kreisz process incoming mail at Camp Kosciuszko in Poznan, Poland, Oct. 23, 2025. The base post office is staffed by five soldiers and two contractors. (ShaTyra Cox/ Stars and Stripes)

Fellow NATO member Poland has long been pushing to have a greater American military footprint to work alongside its own armed forces, whose ranks are rapidly expanding amid the alliance’s determination to shore up its eastern flank against Russia.

The lockers at Camp K became fully operational in August, and the new system has significantly cut down on foot traffic, said Sgt. Brieanna Lawson, noncommissioned officer in charge of postal operations.

Email notifications used to take up to 30 minutes to reach customers, Lawson said, adding that the new system has taken pressure off the counter.

“We’re able to process more mail efficiently, and customers don’t have to rearrange their schedules just to pick up a package,” Lawson said.

In addition, she said, the change has eased workloads for the seven-member postal staff, which includes five soldiers and two contractors.

Postal facilities at most other U.S. Army installations in Poland are staffed by rotational soldiers, although some have civilian workers, Lawson said.

McKown noted that the base in Zagan has one postal facility serving about six camps, and soldiers must drive there to pick up their mail.

He called the Poznan base “the ideal test bed” for the pilot program and said it indicates the drive for providing better service.

“It shows we can evolve,” he said. “Every improvement moves Camp K closer to what long-established posts in Germany or Italy already have.”

Camp Kosciuszko postmaster Darrell McKown explains postal processes at the U.S. base in Poznan, Poland, to Sgt. Brieanna Lawson on Oct. 23, 2025. Recently installed parcel lockers in the base post office are providing significant upgrades in the base’s mail service, McKown said. (ShaTyra Cox/ Stars and Stripes)