While the number you are asking about is 5, that's a little misleading. Last year when my son started, the senator who nominated him presented a slate of 10 (as they all do). Nine of the 10 had appointments. The primaries get in, but then the others get in based on having an LOA or being ranked high on the national waiting list. The one who didn't get in had a DoDMERB issue that couldn't be resolved. Again, this is different state by state, and in a super competitive region things might not work out like they do in our state.