Odds of Getting In
Becoming a sub commander is as impossible as many of the details in Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. (Escaping a giant maelstrom? Come on.)
There are fewer than 300 subs in the U.S. Navy, and only about 100 of them deployed at the moment. Meanwhile, there are more than 300 thousand navy personnel on active duty. In fact, the Department of Defense (who promotes naval captains) actually suggests fewer than 50 percent of people eligible and totally qualified to become captains should ever be promoted that far… You’re set to fail harder than banks were in the financial crisis of 2008. And there’s no government to bail you out… because it’s the Defense Department keeping you out.