Information Systems Technician, Submarines, Communications

ITR is the communications service rating that came out of the submarine IT realignment. NAVADMIN 257/23 split the Information Systems Technician, Submarines (ITS) rating into three tracks. Network (ITN), Electronic Warfare (ITE), and Communications (ITR). The Navy's occupational standards list the rating as Information Systems Technicians, Submarines, Communications (ITR). The first ITR advancement exams ran in September 2024 (Cycle 264) for E-5/E-6 active duty, with E-7 boards following in January 2025. If you held ITS before the split, your communications work now lives under the ITR rating.

As an ITR you run the radio room. You operate and maintain the radio frequency, satellite communications, and cryptographic equipment a submarine uses to stay connected while submerged or surfaced. That means SATCOM terminals and antenna systems, HF/VHF/UHF transmission gear, baseband and circuit patching, message handling and traffic management, and the COMSEC accounting that keeps keyed material accountable. You stand communications watches where a dropped circuit is not an inconvenience, it is a mission failure, so you troubleshoot RF and transmission faults under real time pressure.

The training pipeline runs through IT "A" School followed by submarine communications "C" School, where you specialize in the radio, SATCOM, and crypto systems specific to the platform. Sea duty puts you on fast attack or ballistic missile submarines, with shore rotations at communications stations and squadron support commands. Most ITRs hold a Top Secret/SCI clearance because of the cryptographic and message traffic they handle.

Civilian employers value this background because it is rare. Plenty of people can configure a router. Far fewer understand RF link budgets, antenna alignment, satellite modem provisioning, and encryption key management at the level a submarine radioman lives in every day. That combination of transmission systems, secure communications, and disciplined operations under pressure is exactly what satellite operators, defense electronics firms, and secure-network vendors are short on. Related Navy paths worth comparing are the broader Information Systems Technician (IT) rating and the submarine-wide Information Systems Technician (Submarines) rating. To see how your rating maps to civilian work, start with the military to civilian career crosswalk, and if you want the resume framing first, read how to translate military experience to a civilian resume.

After my Navy time I pivoted into tech sales, and ITR is one of the most underrated backgrounds for that move. You already understand RF, SATCOM, and secure-comms systems at a depth most sales engineers never reach, and that technical credibility is what opens doors at companies selling network gear, secure communications, and SATCOM services. Customers trust the person who has actually run the radio room over the rep reading a spec sheet. — Brad Tachi, Navy Diver veteran & BMR founder

Your radio-room background lines up with several civilian paths, and the pay is competitive. Every figure below is a BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) median, May 2024.

Telecommunications and RF technician roles. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers earn a median of $63,200 (BLS OEWS May 2024). This is the closest civilian fit for your antenna, transmission, and SATCOM line maintenance, and it usually needs little retraining. Demand is steady near coastal markets, satellite ground stations, and maritime communications providers.

Network administration and infrastructure. Network and computer systems administrators earn a median of $95,360 (BLS OEWS May 2024). The submarine LAN and circuit-management side of your job maps here. The honest caveat is that many postings ask for a degree or certifications, so a CompTIA Network+ or Cisco CCNA shortens the path and tells a hiring manager your military networking translates.

Cybersecurity. Information security analysts earn a median of $124,910 (BLS OEWS May 2024), with BLS projecting 33% growth through 2033, far faster than average. Your COMSEC accounting and cryptographic key management give you a genuine foundation, and a Security+ certification is the common entry credential.

Electronics repair and depot work. Electrical and electronics repairers of commercial and industrial equipment earn a median of $67,180 (BLS OEWS May 2024). Defense electronics firms and satellite providers hire submarine-trained technicians for radio and antenna system work because the equipment families overlap.

Geography matters. Secure-comms and SATCOM employers cluster near coasts, satellite ground stations, and defense corridors in Virginia, Maryland, San Diego, Colorado, and the Gulf Coast. Cross-branch, the same skills support roles held by Army 25U Signal Support Systems Specialists and Marine 0621 Field Radio Operators, so those pages are worth reading for path ideas. When you are ready to put this on paper, our military resume builder structures it for civilian hiring managers, or you can build your resume now.

Federal service is one of the strongest landing spots for an ITR because the cryptographic and transmission work you already do has direct General Schedule equivalents, and your clearance carries straight over. Veterans' Preference adds 5 or 10 points to your rated score, and for many of these series your submarine communications experience satisfies the specialized-experience requirement on its own.

GS-0391 Telecommunications is the most direct match. This series covers planning and managing communications systems, circuits, and transmission paths. Submarine radiomen typically qualify around the GS-7 to GS-9 entry band, with GS-11 reachable as you document supervisory or systems-management experience.

GS-0392 General Telecommunications covers the hands-on installation, operation, and repair of communications equipment. Your antenna, SATCOM terminal, and transmission gear work lines up here, commonly at the GS-6 through GS-9 range.

GS-2210 Information Technology Management is the broad IT series, with specialty areas in network services and information security where your LAN and COMSEC work applies. With a Security+ certification and your clearance, GS-9 and GS-11 entry points are realistic.

GS-0856 Electronics Technician fits the RF and electronics maintenance side of the radio room, and GS-0854 Computer Engineering is reachable if you completed an engineering degree on the GI Bill. Agencies that hire heavily into these series include DISA, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, the Coast Guard, NSA, and Fleet Cyber Command's civilian workforce. Build the application around the federal resume builder, and read how your TS/SCI clearance translates to civilian value before you apply. Other ratings that share these GS targets include the Electronics Technician (ET) rating.

If you are staying in communications, RF, or IT, your terminology already translates. Satellite operators and defense electronics firms use the same language you do, so this section is for ITRs targeting careers OUTSIDE the radio room, where a hiring manager has never heard a Navy rating spoken out loud.

The fix is not dumbing your experience down. It is naming the civilian-business outcome instead of the Navy system. Here are before-and-after bullets aimed at non-communications roles.

For a project or operations role:

Before: "Managed COMSEC account and circuit patching for submarine radio division during deployment."

After: "Owned accountability for classified equipment and configuration changes across a 24/7 operation, with zero discrepancies across two audit cycles."

For a technical sales or solutions role:

Before: "Operated and maintained SATCOM terminals and HF/UHF transmission systems aboard a fast attack submarine."

After: "Configured, troubleshot, and sustained satellite and radio-frequency communications hardware in a high-stakes environment, translating technical performance into mission outcomes for senior decision-makers."

For a quality or compliance role:

Before: "Stood communications watch and logged message traffic per fleet procedures."

After: "Executed standardized operating procedures under continuous watch conditions, maintaining accurate records that withstood inspection."

For a deeper list, our 50 military terms translated to civilian language guide is the fastest reference, and military skills for a resume covers the phrasing. When you are ready, the resume builder handles the structure, or you can get started here.