Hegseth Staff Broke WWII Globe While Seizing it for His Office

WHO:

Alternet - Retired Gen. Mark Hertling said he suspected the movers were lieutenant colonels in Hegseth’s outer office, but presented this as a guess.

Alternet - Pete Hegseth was the U.S. secretary of defense.

Alternet - Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force when the U.S. entered World War II, later First Military Governor of the American-occupied zone of Germany, and later the 34th president of the United States.

Alternet - Army spokesman Christopher Surridge said the globe’s spherical portion had detached from its metal rotating mount.

Alternet - The U.S. Army Center of Military History’s experts were furloughed during a partial government shutdown when Hegseth’s team moved the globe.

Drudge Report - The headline identifies Pete as wanting Eisenhower’s globe for his office and says his staff broke it.

WHAT:

Alternet - Hertling said he had previously encountered desks used by Gen. George Patton and German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel at a Noncommissioned Officer Academy in Europe. A U.S. official sought to move one desk to their office, but Hertling and colleagues opposed the transfer, including by involving the German government; the official ultimately dropped the effort or moved on.

Alternet - Hertling said the globes had been safe in the Pentagon for 80 years.

The Washington Post - Two floor globes said to have been used by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II are housed in the Pentagon.

The Washington Post - A plaque accompanying the globes dates them to the 1930s.

Alternet - Hegseth’s staff attempted to move an Eisenhower globe for Hegseth’s office, dropped it, and damaged it.

Alternet - The globe’s fragile shell was impaled near Antarctica; the resulting gash appeared several inches wide. A photograph showed a large hole at its base.

Alternet - The Army acknowledged the damage but did not disclose its extent or why the globe was being moved. The globe remained with the Army, and experts were being consulted about safe transport; whether it could or would be repaired was unclear.

Alternet - The incident became a subject of jokes and gossip among Pentagon staff. Some called it “peak Hegseth” and joked that he was acting like he was auditioning for a movie, with “all swagger and a little too much World War II cosplay.”

Drudge Report - A related-story listing referred to Pentagon officials being ready to “spill their guts” to impeach Hegseth.

WHERE:

Alternet - The globe was being moved within the Pentagon; Hegseth wanted it for his office.

WHEN:

Alternet - The Army said the globe was damaged on Feb. 3. The article does not specify a year.

Alternet - The partial government shutdown ended on the same day the globe was damaged.

WHY:

Alternet - Hertling said Hegseth wanted the globe to show it to visitors in his office.

Alternet - Eisenhower preferred large standing globes to typical Mercator projection maps because Mercator maps distort the relative size of countries.

Alternet - Hegseth wanted the historic globe for his office. The article says previous occupants of the Pentagon office treated such artifacts with reverence and that the globe’s historical significance was known to Hegseth.

HOW:

Alternet - Historical items are ordinarily moved through a deliberate process overseen by trained curators. Instead, Hegseth’s staff sent its own team to move the globe; sources told the Washington Post the team lost control and dropped it.

Alternet - A person familiar with the incident cited an “apparent lack of patience.” The article says it was unclear why the team did not wait for experienced help during the shutdown.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 19:19 UTC)

A historic globe associated with Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was damaged while Pete Hegseth’s staff tried to move it to the defense secretary’s Pentagon office. The Army said the globe’s spherical section detached from its metal rotating mount after being dropped. Its fragile shell was punctured near Antarctica, leaving a gash several inches wide. The Army has not detailed the full extent of the damage, and it remains unclear whether the globe can be repaired. The two floor globes, believed to have been used by Eisenhower during World War II, have been housed at the Pentagon for decades. Normally, trained curators oversee the careful movement of historic artifacts, but the Army’s history experts were furloughed during a partial government shutdown. Retired Gen. Mark Hertling guessed that lieutenant colonels in Hegseth’s outer office were involved. The incident prompted jokes and gossip among Pentagon staff.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 14:09 UTC)

Pete Hegseth’s staff damaged a historic globe while moving it within the Pentagon for his office, according to the Army. Sources told The Washington Post that the team lost control and dropped the fragile object, which was used by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II. Its shell was pierced near Antarctica, leaving a gash several inches wide. The Army said the globe’s spherical portion detached from its metal rotating mount, but did not detail the damage or explain why it was moved without trained curators. Experts were furloughed during a partial government shutdown, which ended the day the globe was damaged. The globe remains with the Army, and experts are being consulted about safe transport. Whether it can be repaired is unclear. Two Eisenhower globes are housed at the Pentagon, with a plaque dating them to the 1930s.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 12:03 UTC)

A historic globe associated with Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was damaged when Pete Hegseth’s staff tried to move it into the defense secretary’s Pentagon office. The Army said the globe’s spherical section detached from its rotating metal mount after the team lost control and dropped it. Its fragile shell was pierced near Antarctica, leaving a gash several inches wide, and a photograph showed a large hole at the base. The Army has not disclosed the full extent of the damage or why the move was carried out without experienced help. Normally, trained curators oversee the careful transport of historical artifacts, but the Army’s history experts were furloughed during a partial government shutdown. The globe remains with the Army as specialists are consulted about safe transport; whether it can be repaired is unclear. The incident has drawn jokes among Pentagon staff, with some calling it “peak Hegseth.”