More than 1,000 midshipmen in the Class of 2026 received their service assignments today in Bancroft Hall at the Naval Academy. They selected from 22 different career choices in the Navy and Marine Corps and submitted up to six of their service assignment preferences in late August this year.
Assignments are based on specific requirements provided to the Naval Academy by Department of the Navy leadership and consider both a midshipman’s aptitude and preference for a particular assignment. The Naval Academy endeavors to match personal preferences with aptitude and ability, placing midshipmen in the community best suited to their strengths to set them up for successful careers of Navy and Marine Corps service. Roughly 79% percent of midshipmen in the Class of 2026 received their first choice, with a combined 94% receiving their first or second choice. Midshipmen who will commission as Surface Warfare Officers will select their first ships during our annual Ship Selection Night scheduled for later this winter.
The culmination of four years of challenging study and training as a Naval Academy midshipman is graduation and commissioning as a Navy or Marine Corps officer. During their time at the Academy, midshipmen are exposed to the various career paths offered in the Navy and Marine Corps.
The Class of 2026 has 796 total Navy and 267 total Marine Corps assignments for a total of 1,063. The breakdown by community is as follows:
| Community | Assigned |
| Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer | 1 |
| Civil Engineering Corps | 7 |
| Cryptologic Warfare | 8 |
| Cyber Warfare Engineer | 6 |
| Explosive Ordnance Disposal | 18 |
| Information Professional | 6 |
| Intelligence | 5 |
| Maritime Cyber Warfare Officer | 8 |
| Medical Corps | 4 |
| Naval Flight Officer | 64 |
| Naval Special Warfare | 30 |
| Oceanography | 3 |
| Pilot | 237 |
| Submarines | 132 |
| Supply Corps | 7 |
| Surface Warfare (SWO) | 201 |
| SWO (Engineering Duty Officer) | 13 |
| SWO (Nuclear) | 41 |
| SWO (Oceanography Option) | 5 |
| USMC Cyber | 8 |
| USMC Ground | 178 |
| USMC Pilot | 81 |