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Submarine Service: Same job, different worlds

Volunteer-only in most navies. Months submerged, small crew, total dependence on each other. The most selective enlisted path in naval service — and the most likely to get a bonus.

Why this comparison exists

The US has FOIA, congressional oversight, and open pay scales — so US MOS data is comparable. Most other militaries here are less transparent than that, not more. Putting the same job side-by-side across countries surfaces what no single ministry of defence will tell you: that training length, housing, civilian conversion value, and career ceilings vary wildly for what is nominally the same role. Nothing structured like this exists in any single language. That's why this page is here.

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United States · Navy
STSSonar Technician (Submarine)
0 reviews on Honest MOS
Basic TrainingBCT — 10 weeks
AdvancedAIT / OSUT — varies by MOS
HousingBAH / on-post family housing
FitnessACFT (Army Combat Fitness Test)
PensionBRS / Legacy after 20 years
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United Kingdom · Royal Navy
Combat Infantryman
No reviews
Basic TrainingPhase 1 — 14 weeks (Army) · 10 weeks (RN) · 10 weeks (RAF)
AdvancedPhase 2
HousingSFA (Service Families Accommodation)
FitnessRFT (Role Fitness Test)
PensionAFPS 15 (or legacy AFPS 75)
What the recruiter won't tell you

SFA is a lottery, and you're probably losingA 2023 Defence Committee report found 60% of Service Families Accommodation is not fit for purpose. Mould, damp, broken

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France · Marine Nationale
Officier marinier opérations
No reviews
Basic TrainingCFIM / formation initiale — 4 to 6 months
Advancedformation de spécialité
Housinglogement militaire / logement de fonction
Fitnesstest d'aptitude physique (TAP)
Pensionretraite militaire (17–27 ans selon grade)
What the recruiter won't tell you

Le système de paie Louvois a versé n'importe quoi pendant des annéesLe système informatique Louvois a produit des erreurs massives — trop-perçus réclamés des mois plus tard, sous-perçus ja

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Australia · Royal Australian Navy
Infantry SoldierIFR
No reviews
Basic TrainingKapooka (Army) / recruit training — 10–11 weeks (Army) · varies by service
AdvancedIET (Initial Employment Training)
HousingDHA housing (Defence Housing Australia)
FitnessAPFA (Army Physical Fitness Assessment)
PensionADF Super / MSBS (Military Superannuation and Benefits Scheme)
What the recruiter won't tell you

The $50K bonus tells you everything about how bad retention gotThe ADF introduced a $50,000 continuation bonus in 2023 for a 3-year commitment. 85% of eligible members took it. That's

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Norway · Sjøforsvaret
Ubåtbesetning
No reviews
Basic TrainingGSU (Grunnleggende soldatutdanning) — 12 months
AdvancedFagutdanning
HousingTjenestebolig
FitnessFysisk test (testprofil)
PensionStatens pensjonskasse (SPK)
What the recruiter won't tell you

Conscript daily rate is 170 NOK — and that is not a misprint170 NOK per day is approximately €15. It is deliberately low: the system assumes conscripts are housed, fed, and equippe

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Israel · Heyl HaYam (Navy)
Lohem Shiryon (Tanker)
No reviews
Basic TrainingTironut (basic training) — Men: 32 months total (inc. tironut) · Women: 24 months total
AdvancedKurs (specialist course)
HousingDira (apartment) — most soldiers live at home or in civilian apartments (IDF doesn't generally provide family housing)
FitnessProfile 97 (combat fitness) / Profile 64 (standard fitness)
PensionKeren Hishtalmut (development fund) + military pension after career service
What the recruiter won't tell you

Reserve duty never really ends — and your employer pays the priceIsraeli men can be called up for reserve duty until age 40-45. The law provides employer compensation, but the career im

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South Korea · Hae-gun — Republic of Korea Navy
Hamjeong Byeongsik (Naval warfare specialist — 함정병식)
No reviews
Basic Training기본군사훈련 (Gibon Gunsa Hunryeon) — 5 weeks basic; 18-21 months total mandatory service for men
Advanced특기훈련 (Teukgi Hunryeon)
Housing군관사 (Gungwansa)
Fitness체력검정 (Cheryeok Geomjeong)
Pension군인연금 (Gunin Yeongeun)
What the recruiter won't tell you

You serve whether you want to or not — and the system knows itKorean men's service is involuntary with very limited deferments (students can defer until 28, graduate students to 30).

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Japan · Kaiji — Maritime Self-Defense Force
Sensuikan (Submarine crew — 潜水艦)
No reviews
Basic TrainingSho Kyoiku (初等教育) — 3 months initial education
AdvancedSenmon Kyoiku (専門教育)
HousingJieitai Jutaku (自衛隊住宅)
FitnessTairen Kentei (体力検定)
PensionJieitai Kyuufu (退職手当)
What the recruiter won't tell you

JSDF pay is below comparable civilian technical roles — and the gap is wideningA GSDF sergeant earns roughly ¥280,000/month (~$1,900). A comparably-skilled engineer at Toyota or Sony earns 1.5-2x thi

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Sweden · Marinen
Ubåtsman
No reviews
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Taiwan · 海軍 (Navy)
潛艦艦員 (Submarine Crew)
No reviews
Basic Training新兵訓練 (Xīnbīng Xùnliàn) — Conscripts born 2005+: 12 months (since 2024 policy). Conscripts born 2004 and earlier: 4-month training service.
Advanced專業訓練 (Zhuānyè Xùnliàn)
Housing眷村/軍眷住宅 (Juàncūn / Jūn Juàn Zhùzhái) — military family housing (legacy system, diminishing)
Fitness體能測驗 (Tǐnéng Cèyàn) — physical fitness test
Pension軍人退撫 (Jūnrén Tuìfǔ) — military retirement and benefit system
What the recruiter won't tell you

Conscript pay is below Taiwan's civilian minimum wage — by a lotMonthly base pay for a conscript is approximately 9,000–13,000 TWD (~$280–$400 USD) depending on grade. Taiwan's civilia

What actually differs across countries
Training length

UK Phase 1 is 14 weeks vs. US BCT at 10. Australia's Kapooka is 10 weeks. Canada's BMQ is 13. Germany's GA is 12. Same job, different ramp-up.

Housing system

Every country runs a different housing lottery. UK SFA is famously underfunded. Canada's PMQ waitlist is 3,700+ families. Australia's DHA moves 15k personnel a year.

Civilian conversion

Some trades are worth more in the civilian market depending on which country you served in. UK CMT → NHS paramedic. Canadian 871 → provincial ACP. German Sanitätssoldat → Rettungssanitäter.

Career ceilings

The promotion system in each country has unique chokepoints. UK AGAI 67. Canada's bilingual wall. Australia's separation rate crisis. Germany's dienstaltersgeprägte Beförderung.

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