Why, because being in a submarine is bad enough without not wanting to be there in the first place? That's coming from my aviation bias, I guess.
I'm fairly involved with the Mid-parent's Facebook site and I got a lot of private messages from concerned parents who had a midshipman who was a high-achiever yet, from their perspective, was being railroaded into submarines. Subs was
not their first choice.
Like I said, they always seem to be just a little short of qualified sub volunteers. From what I can tell, here's how they fill those slots. Let's say they need 6 more.
They'll target about twice that many as "potentials". They are usually midshipmen who have an outstanding record of achievement but might have a small weakness here or there. Nothing serious, though.
First, they try the "You may not realize this, but you would be
perfect for submarines" approach. They pump up the community. They talk about how there is no extra commitment - how they get bonuses - how they will be working with the best officers and sailors in the Navy - how they will have tremendous responsibility - how important the mission is - how it is the "fast track" to promotions - and how having been nuclear trained in the Navy is a great thing to have on one's resume should they ever decide to leave the Navy. This is mostly all true. But it's also something most of the midshipmen have heard before. The pitch is not new. But now it is being made to them, personally.
Then they pump up the midshipman. "The nuclear Navy needs outstanding people like yourself. You're intelligent - you have the technical background - you are leader - you're respected by your peers. You would excel and thrive in the nuclear Navy and will have a bright career ahead of you. It's the future of the Navy."
These are some big brass guys making this pitch, too. Lots of stripes are in the room giving this midshipman their undivided attention. It's both flattering and intimidating, all at the same time.
Basically, they're just testing the waters. They are trying to see how committed the midshipman is to his first choice. Many of them capitulate. They change their preference. Subs was #2 and they change it to #1. He got his
first choice!
Parents are sometimes stunned when their midshipman, who has always been dead set on flying, tells them that he is going submarines. Oftentimes, the midshipman is not very straightforward with his parents. He tells them, "They're
making me go subs," which is not
exactly true. He
chose to go subs after being subjected to the above routine just described.
It's like a lion chasing a herd of antelopes on the open savanna. The lion usually catches the one who gets separated from the pack and is the slowest runner. That's how the academy fills the remaining spots for the quota. They separate a few from the pack, give them their undivided attention, keep chasing them, until the midshipman becomes exhausted and capitulates.
If they cannot get enough "volunteers" with the above tactic, they will resort to a slightly different tactic. They will try shame. They will make the midshipman feel like he is being selfish in pursuing what
he wants instead of what his country is calling him to do.
What they want is for the midshipman to agree that subs
is what he wants. To them, that makes it his
first choice.
It can get a little ugly and sometimes creates great anxiety among many midshipmen and their families.
The addition of women has taken some of the heat off. Prior to women being allowed to serve on submarines, the quota had to be filled 100% with men even though men make up less than 75% of the graduating class. Although the number of women allowed to go into subs is limited, usually 100% of them are qualified volunteers. It's new and different for them so it's not difficult to find a dozen or so women who want to serve on a submarine. The problem is finding about 120 like-minded men. Nearly
ten times as many! Not so easy.
You might be reading this and wondering: "Wait a minute! I thought the nuclear Navy is always bragging about it being an all-volunteer force."
It is ... technically. It's just that many of them are being persuaded to "volunteer".
I won't get into the tactic of how
not to be selected when you are one of the ones being targeted for selection.