Welcome to Your Sailor’s Next Step: “A” School at Great Lakes, IL

Seeing “Great Lakes, IL” on your Sailor’s orders right after boot camp can bring up a lot of questions and emotions — and that’s totally normal. If your Sailor is headed to “A” School at Naval Station Great Lakes, this page is here to help you understand what that means, what kind of training they’ll be doing, and what life is like for families while their loved one earns their technical skills in the U.S. Navy.

Great Lakes is one of the Navy’s largest and most important training hubs, and many Sailors — especially those headed to surface ships and support jobs — spend part of their early Navy career right here. We’ll walk you through where it is, who trains there, what to expect, and how you can support your Sailor through this next chapter.

U.S. Navy “A” School at Great Lakes, Illinois (Naval Station Great Lakes)

If your Sailor’s orders say Great Lakes, IL for “A” School, they’ll be training at Naval Station Great Lakes (NSGL)—the Navy’s largest training installation and home of the Navy’s only boot camp.

This page is here to help you understand where your Sailor will be, what kind of training happens at Great Lakes after boot camp, and what families can expect while their loved one is in school.

Where is Naval Station Great Lakes?

Naval Station Great Lakes sits on the western shore of Lake Michigan in the North Chicago/Great Lakes area (north of Chicago). The installation covers over 1,600 acres and includes 1,153 buildings.

Great Lakes is often called the “Quarterdeck of the Navy” because of how many Sailors begin their Navy journey here—first in boot camp, then many of them continue on to technical training (“A” School) on the same installation.

How many Sailor's are at Great Lakes?

Great Lakes supports a very large population. The base reports supporting over 20,000 Sailors and other military members and Department of War/Department of Defense civilians living and working on the installation.

Some Navy training command information also describes Great Lakes as home to more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel who work, train, and live there—numbers can vary depending on the time of year and training cycles.

On top of that, Recruit Training Command (boot camp) pushes a steady flow of new Sailors through the region every week—so the overall training community in and around Great Lakes stays busy year-round.

Why Great Lakes is a big deal for Navy training

Naval Station Great Lakes is home to Training Support Center (TSC) Great Lakes and is also where a large portion of Navy surface warfare specialty training happens—often described as about 80% of the Navy’s surface warfare specialty training.

In simple terms: if your Sailor is heading to the surface fleet (ships) in many support, deck, engineering, or admin/logistics roles, Great Lakes is one of the major places the Navy trains them before their first command.

Which Sailors attend “A” School at Great Lakes?

“A” School is the Navy’s job-school where Sailors learn the basics of their rating (their career field). Great Lakes hosts several schools and training units—especially for surface fleet jobs.

Many Sailor's see Great Lakes orders for ratings such as:

• BM – Boatswain’s Mate (deck seamanship, line handling, shipboard evolutions)
• CS – Culinary Specialist (food service operations)
• DC – Damage Controlman (shipboard damage control/firefighting fundamentals)
• EM – Electrician’s Mate (non-nuclear) (electrical systems fundamentals)
• EN – Engineman (non-nuclear) (mechanical/engineering systems)
• GM – Gunner’s Mate (weapons systems fundamentals)
• HT – Hull Technician (welding/metalwork/plumbing-type shipboard skills)
• LS – Logistics Specialist (supply, inventory, shipping/receiving)
• MM – Machinist’s Mate (non-nuclear) (mechanical systems)
• OS – Operations Specialist (watchstanding fundamentals, ops center basics)
• PS – Personnel Specialist (admin/personnel support)
• RS – Retail Services Specialist (ship store, services, morale support)
• YN – Yeoman (administration, records, correspondence)

Note: Training pipelines can shift over time based on Navy needs, and some ratings may train at Great Lakes for certain phases while other phases happen elsewhere. Your Sailor’s orders are always the best source for their specific school location and reporting instructions.

Major training commands you may hear about

Parents often hear a few command names connected to Great Lakes “A” Schools:

• Training Support Center (TSC) Great Lakes – the umbrella training support organization for multiple schools on base.
• Surface Warfare Schools Command (SWSC) – provides surface warfare training; its largest learning site is the Surface Warfare Engineering School at Great Lakes.
• Surface Warfare Engineering School Command (SWESC) Great Lakes – trains thousands of Sailors each year for surface Navy requirements and provides apprentice/specialized skills training.

If your Sailor is in a surface engineering or seamanship/navigation pipeline, you may see SWSC/SWESC referenced on paperwork or in sponsor emails.

What life is like during “A” School (what families should know)

“A” School is still a structured training environment. Your Sailor will have:

• Class schedules (often early mornings) and required study time
• Liberty rules that may be stricter at first, then expand as they progress
• Inspections and standards (uniforms, room standards, accountability)
• Military watchstanding and training requirements outside the classroom

For families, the biggest changes from boot camp are usually:

• You may be able to communicate more regularly (phone/text varies by school rules)
• Visits may be possible, but your Sailor’s training schedule comes first
• Weather can be a shock—Great Lakes winters can be cold and windy off Lake Michigan

How you can support your Sailor

Here are simple, practical ways families help the most:

• Encourage consistency (sleep, study habits, showing up early)
• Keep care packages simple and aligned with what their school allows
• Be patient with schedule changes—classes can shift due to staffing, holidays, or pipeline adjustments
• Remind them this is a short season that sets them up for their first command

If your Sailor has a sponsor, encourage them to stay in contact with that sponsor and follow official check-in instructions on their orders.

Quick reassurance for parents

Hearing “Great Lakes again” after boot camp can feel surprising—but it’s very common. Great Lakes is a major hub for Navy training, and many Sailors complete their first technical school right here before heading to their permanent duty station.

You’re not alone—Navydads.com is here for questions, support, and real-life tips from families who have already been through it.