Uh sovbob, didn't the link I posted pretty much negate what you just said?
GED is possible provided you get a certain score on the ASVAB.
Perhaps I wasn't clear with my previous post.
The navy has a set of rules in 1130.8H Volume 2, that govern basic eligibility requirements for ALL enlistees. These include all sorts of things like age, citizenship, dependents, education, criminal history, etc.
What you're referring to is under the BASIC eligibility requirements found in Volume 2, Section 010103
http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/publications/Directives/VOL%20II_Eligibility%20Requirements-%20with%20CH6.pdf"a. Applicants must meet the following specific eligibility requirements to be considered qualified for contracting for service in the U.S.Navy:
...
(6) Score at least 35 on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). Applicants with AFQT scores less than 50 must be HSDG/TIER I. See Chapter 2, Section 6 for additional guidance."(For reference, a person with a GED is classified as a Tier II education)
However, the nuclear program has special ADDITIONAL requirements on top of the basic eligibility requirements. These additional guidelines are found in 1130.8H, Volume 4 (Programs and Classification). They include things such as financial records, high school math transcripts, age, etc that are specific only to the nuclear program. For example, the maximum age to enlist in the navy is 34, but if you're over 25 you need a waiver to be in the nuclear program.
If you don't meet these additional requirements (or your nuclear waiver gets denied), you can still enlist in the navy but not as a nuke.