Arkansas Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Ellison, assigned to the 179th Cyber Protection Team, participates in the Capture the Flag event during Cyber Shield 2026 at the Professional Education Center in Little Rock, Ark., July 17, 2026.
(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Brooke Kentler/Released)
A view of Atakule, one of the landmark buildings of Turkish capital, is illuminated ahead of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government, in Ankara, Turkiye, on July 5, 2026. (Photo by Arman Onal/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Marines with Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command pose for photos in cyber operations room at Lasswell Hall aboard Fort Meade, Maryland, Feb. 5, 2020. (Photo illustration source: DVIDS)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers remarks to L3Harris employees as part of his Arsenal of Freedom Tour, Camden, Ark., Feb. 27, 2026. (DoW photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
Leonel Garciga, the U.S. Army Chief Information Officer, addresses the moderator and members of the panel during the Under Secretary of the Army’s Digital Transformation Panel at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Sept. 10, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Henry Villarama)
Sailors assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) participates in manning the rails as the ship prepares to arrive in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Sept. 8, 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Amy Mullins)
Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable John C. Phelan, stands during the national anthem at the commissioning ceremony of the Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) in Norfolk, Virginia, April 11, 2026. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Oliver McCain Vieira)
Phelan’s surprise exit comes a day after he delivered a keynote address at the Sea-Air-Space symposium, in which he touted plans for a next-generation battleship.