Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s staff damaged a WWII-era globe once used by Dwight D. Eisenhower during a move to his office, an accident the Pentagon says is under repair after press attention.
Aides lost control of the 30-inch floor globe early this year while trying to relocate it, and the artifact crashed on its base. The impact left an inches-wide gash near Antarctica on the historic piece.
The Hill reported that the globe was never moved into the secretary’s office after the mishap. A Pentagon official confirmed the accident and said repairs are underway. No one was hurt.
The Washington Post first reported the incident and obtained images of the damage from the early February relocation try. Hegseth had wanted the globe in his office, though it remains unclear whether he personally ordered the transport.
Eisenhower used the globe while serving as supreme commander of Allied forces in World War II, including the 1944 D-Day landings. He later served as the 34th president from 1953 to 1961. One version of an Eisenhower globe still carries pen lines and markings from that war.
Plans called for the Army office holding the artifact to consult trained experts before any move. Those plans hit a wall when staffers were furloughed in a partial government shutdown.
The shutdown stemmed from disagreement in Congress over the Trump administration’s immigration policy. After failing to reach the experts, Hegseth’s team took the job on themselves rather than wait for curators.
A source familiar with the incident described the drop to reporters. The Army’s press office referred questions to Hegseth’s office and the Pentagon. Hegseth has faced sharp public pushback before, including when protesters confronted him at an Army conference.
A Pentagon official put the episode in plain terms.
"Accidents happen, we are grateful no one was harmed, and the globe is being repaired,"
The same official brushed off the coverage.
"It is unsurprising that the Washington Post is once again dedicating time to another inconsequential non-story."
A different Eisenhower-connected globe shows how these artifacts usually move. That piece measured about 40 inches across and stood roughly four feet high. It came from the Army Center of Military History in Anniston, Alabama, and went to an Army base.
In late December 2022, the shipping firm Craters & Freighters described packing that globe. The company treated it as far more than a dollar figure.
"When packing an asset of this size, we had to consider the context of its worth on many levels,"
The firm added another line on the stakes.
"Since the globe is considered priceless, we knew its value was much greater than financial, and that our team was heavily relied upon for a safe delivery."
That earlier move used specialists. The February attempt for the 30-inch globe did not. Staff not trained as curators handled the piece after the furloughs blocked the expert path.
The damaged globe is being repaired and stays out of the secretary’s office. The sequence is straightforward: a desired office display, a shutdown that sidelined specialists, an in-house move, a drop, and a fix now in progress.
Hegseth continues his work at the Pentagon amid other political fights, from impeachment articles filed over war powers to debate about his future. None of that changes the basic facts of a dropped object and a repair order.
Reporters dug into images of the gash and the decision to skip curators. The Pentagon’s reply stayed short: accidents occur, people stayed safe, and the artifact will be restored. The globe’s final destination remains its prior home rather than the secretary’s suite.
Other recent coverage has tracked Hegseth on the trail, including an Iowa fundraiser trip that stirred succession talk. The globe episode sits apart from those larger questions. It is a workplace mishap tied to a shutdown that pulled specialists offline.
Questions still open include the exact calendar date of the drop, the precise room where it happened, and whether the damaged piece is the original marked globe or a replica. Names of the staffers who carried it have not been released. Repair details and the globe’s current storage spot also remain limited in public accounts.
What is known is enough. A historic object took a hard fall. The people moving it lacked the usual expert backup because of furloughs rooted in a border-policy standoff. The Pentagon is fixing the damage and has declined to treat the story as a crisis.
Hegseth has drawn separate criticism on military justice matters, including when a Fort Hood victim’s daughter rejected a livestream execution plan and when lawmakers pressed for his removal. Those fights involve policy. This one involves a dropped globe and a repair order.
Taxpayers fund the upkeep of national artifacts and the salaries of the people who move them. When Congress freezes parts of the government over immigration enforcement, routine safeguards slip. A gash near Antarctica on an Eisenhower globe is the visible result.
Press outlets will keep chasing every scuff on a conservative-led Pentagon. Adults in charge will keep fixing what breaks and moving on to the real work of defense.
