Hegseth demanded the world. His staff broke it during a rush to move it into his office
Members of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s staff accidentally broke a historic globe that was used by Gen. Dwight D Eisenhower during World War II, according to a report.
The Washington Post said the model of the Earth was one of two belonging to the 34th president that was housed at the Pentagon and was chosen by Hegseth to be relocated to his office in February.
According to the Post, the Army office in possession of the 30-inch globe had expected trained curators from the U.S. Army Center of Military History to undertake the move.
However, the center’s experts were furloughed at the time because of a partial government shutdown caused by a dispute on Capitol Hill over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, which had reached a crisis point after the shooting of two civilian protesters by federal agents in Minneapolis.
With the professionals unavailable, Hegseth’s staff reportedly took it upon themselves to shift the artifact unaided. Disaster soon struck.
“They lost control of the artifact and dropped it, sending the globe crashing onto its base and impaling the fragile shell near Antarctica,” the newspaper writes, saying the damage incurred amounted to a gash measuring several inches across.
Asked why Hegseth’s team had not simply waited for expert help in moving the fragile historical relic, a source familiar with the matter blamed what ensued on an “apparent lack of patience.”
The episode thereafter provided “instant fodder for gossip and jokes” behind the scenes.
Army spokesman Christopher Surridge acknowledged to the Post the item had been damaged during the “attempted move” on February 3.
In addition to the gash, “the spherical portion of the globe was detached from the metal mounting that allows it to rotate,” Surridge said. It has not been moved again.
Pentagon officials denied the paper’s request for a photo of the damaged globe or an opportunity to examine it in person but it nevertheless obtained pictures of it through other means.
A Defense Department spokesperson told The Post: “Accidents happen. We are grateful no one was harmed, and the globe is being repaired.”
Eisenhower, a five-star general hailed for his role in masterminding the defeat of Nazi Germany by co-ordinating D-Day and other major combat operations, was well-known for his fondness for globes and can be seen in many pictures from the 1940s using them to illustrate strategy or simply posing with them.
He went on to serve as president from 1953 to 1961 before being succeeded by John F Kennedy.
