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Sea-Air-Space attendees step out of the naval conference in National Harbor, Maryland, to observe the solar eclipse April 8, 2024. (Colin Demarest/C4ISRNET)

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — This week, U.S. Navy leadership and some of the world’s largest defense contractors flocked to the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center south of the nation’s capital for the 2024 Sea-Air-Space defense conference.

Hosted by the Navy League, it’s the service’s largest annual trade show. Reporters with C4ISRNET, Defense News, and Military Times were on the ground, reporting on the latest remarks and industry insights.

From an eclipse that yanked attendees to the waterfront to a surprise appearance by Lance Cpl. Chesty XVI, here’s what you may have missed:

The next Sea-Air-Space conference is scheduled for April 2025.

Colin Demarest is a reporter at C4ISRNET, where he covers military networks, cyber and IT. Colin previously covered the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration — namely Cold War cleanup and nuclear weapons development — for a daily newspaper in South Carolina. Colin is also an award-winning photographer.