Career Assignments: Class of 2026

Every fall at the U.S. Naval Academy carries a special kind of energy - but late November brings one of the most defining moments in a midshipman’s journey: Service Assignment. For the Class of 2026, this recent milestone marked the start of their transition from midshipmen to leaders in the Navy and Marine Corps. The big day was November 20th, when 1,063 midshipmen received service assignments from among 22 different career choices. Now, these future officers can start to look ahead to spring commissioning and the beginning of their careers.

Whether they’re preparing to join the Navy or the Marine Corps (a quarter of each class commissions into the Marine Corps, a separate service but still within the Department of the Navy), this year’s class is excited and ready to take on the challenges and responsibilities of service.

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 80% of midshipmen in the Class of 2026 received their first choice, with a combined 94% receiving their first or second choice.

Here’s a look at where they’re heading next and what these assignments mean for their futures.

Surface Warfare: Leading from the Deckplates

260 members of the Class of 2026 will commission as Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs), one of the most dynamic Naval Officer positions. SWOs lead teams on a wide range of ships across the Fleet, specializing in mission-critical roles from engineering and combat systems to navigation and ship handling, which include:

SWO
Engineering Duty Officer
Nuclear propulsion
Oceanography

These officers can expect to join destroyers, cruisers, littoral combat ships, and other platforms that form the Navy’s operational backbone. Their early careers will be hands-on and fast-paced, with immediate leadership responsibilities. For midshipmen drawn to teamwork, technical complexity, and life at sea, surface warfare remains one of the most compelling and popular career paths.

Midshipmen who will commission as Surface Warfare Officers will select their first ships during our annual Ship Selection Night scheduled Thursday, February 5th.

Submarines: Silent Service, Strategic Impact

Another strong contingent from the class (132 midshipmen) is joining the Submarine Force. Trained in nuclear propulsion, engineering, and advanced weapons and collection systems, these new officers will take on some of the most demanding roles in the Navy.

Submarine officers are known for their technical expertise, precision, and ability to lead in highly specialized environments. Their work plays a critical role in national security, and the assignment indicates not only academic excellence but also the Navy’s confidence in their potential.

Naval Aviation: Taking to the Skies

Aviation continues to be one of the most competitive and sought-after careers, and the Class of 2026 includes 301 soon-to-be naval pilots and naval flight officers. These future aviators will head to flight school after commissioning, where they’ll begin training to fly aircraft such as the F-35C Lightning II, F/A-18 Super Hornet, P-8 Poseidon, MH-60 Seahawk, E-2D Hawkeye, and more.

The path to wings is lengthy and challenging, but it’s also deeply rewarding. For those driven by precision, adrenaline, and the art of flight, Naval Aviation represents the pinnacle of service and skill.

Marine Corps Ground and Air: The Few and the Proud

267 midshipmen from the Class of 2026 were selected to become USMC officers, joining the ranks of the Marine Corps as either cyber, ground, or air officers. These assignments reflect a commitment to the Marine Corps’ values of honor, courage, and commitment.

Whether they pursue infantry, logistics, intelligence, artillery, aviation, or other specialties, Marine officers lead from the front. Their training at The Basic School (TBS) will forge them into elite leaders capable of making tough decisions under pressure, guiding Marines in some of the most challenging environments in the world.

For many midshipmen, this path represents the fulfillment of a long-held dream to serve as a Marine officer, one of the most respected and demanding roles in the entire military.

Cyber, Information Warfare, and Other Specialized Fields

As warfare evolves, so do the military officer positions needed to meet modern challenges. Eighty-four members of the Class of 2026 will also join speciality communities such as:

Intelligence
Information Professional
Cyber Warfare Engineer
Maritime Cyber Warfare Engineer
Oceanography
Cryptologic Warfare
Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Naval Special Warfare

These officers will use their technical skills to collect intelligence, protect networks, and support operations worldwide. Their work is critical to national defense and increasingly vital in an interconnected world.

Medical, Supply, Civil Engineering, and More

A small but essential group of 19 midshipmen will move on to specialized training programs or graduate education in fields such as:

Medical Corps
Civil Engineering Corps
Supply Corps
Aviation Maintenance Duty

These officers provide the expertise that keeps the Fleet and Marine Corps ready, supplied, and capable.

A Class Ready to Lead

As the Class of 2026 prepares for commissioning in the spring, they do so with pride, purpose, and a clear sense of mission. Their assignments represent more than personal achievement, they mark the celebrated beginning of careers that will be spent in service to the nation.

Whether heading to ships, submarines, aircraft, cyber units, Marine Corps commands, or other arenas, each soon-to-be officer carries forward the U.S. Naval Academy’s strong traditions of leadership, integrity, and excellence. You can support that mission. Every time you take a USNA tour, dine at a Yard restaurant, or make a purchase at the USNA Gift Shop or Navyonline.com, you’re giving back to the Brigade, funding extracurricular activities that fuel their purpose.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! You’ve worked hard for this moment and your next chapter begins now as your time at the Academy comes to a close. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps stand ready to welcome you aboard.

On The Yard