Money · 1 of 6
What basic pay looks like
Petty Officer Second Class, over 4 years
$47,362
Seaman Recruit, first year
$28,886
Chief Petty Officer, over 12 years
$67,100
There is no wage survey for this job, because the armed forces are outside it, so these figures are not a median. Basic pay comes from the 2026 military pay table and depends only on your rank and years of service, so a SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) operator is paid the same basic pay as any sailor of the same rank. The Navy does not publish what rank a typical operator holds at each stage, so these are examples. Special pays and untaxed allowances come on top.