USO
Millions of times each year at hundreds of locations around the world, the USO lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families.
At a glance
- Operator
- United Service Organizations (USO)
- Access
- Public
- Last updated
Contact
- Commercial
- 888-484-3876
The USO (United Service Organizations) is a congressionally chartered, private 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports U.S. service members and their families, independent of the Department of Defense. It operates more than 250 centers and mobile units worldwide, staffed largely by volunteers, and its public website at uso.org is the entry point for the programs and services described below.
What it is
The USO was established in 1941, at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, by uniting six existing service organizations into a single body focused on military morale and welfare. Its stated mission is "to strengthen the well-being of the people serving in America's military and their families." Programs span the length of a service member's career: welcoming recruits at Military Entrance Processing Stations, operating USO centers and lounges at airports and installations, delivering care packages and entertainment to deployed troops, running family-support programming, assisting wounded, ill, and injured service members, and helping veterans transition to civilian life.
Who operates it
The USO is a private, congressionally chartered nonprofit — not a government agency — funded by donations rather than appropriated federal funds. It is headquartered at PO Box 96860, Washington, DC 20077-7677, and relies on an all-volunteer base numbering roughly in the tens of thousands annually across its global network of centers.
Access
uso.org is a fully public website; there is no login, CAC, or account requirement to browse programs, request support, donate, or volunteer. The USO does not publish a general help-desk email address — official contact is via the web form at uso.org/contact or by phone. General inquiries: 1-888-484-3876. Donation-related calls: 1-800-876-7469.
How logisticians use it
The USO is not a materiel or supply-chain logistics system; it is a quality-of-life and morale-support resource that logisticians and their families may use directly (airport/installation centers, deployment care packages, family programs) or refer service members to as part of unit welfare and readiness support.
Related systems
The USO operates alongside, but independently of, official DoD quality-of-life and family-readiness programs; it is a private-sector complement to those government-run services rather than a replacement for them.