Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wanted a piece of American military history inside his Pentagon office.
His staff reportedly turned a simple request into a spectacular disaster. Apparently, preserving history took a back seat to another embarrassing episode for the Pentagon’s top official.
Since joining President Donald Trump’s administration, the former Fox News host has built a reputation for doing things his way.
From controversial office makeovers to battles with lawmakers and journalists, Hegseth has repeatedly defended decisions critics say put his personal priorities ahead of established procedures.
His latest headache involves a historic treasure connected to one of America’s most celebrated military commanders.
And this time the damage wasn’t just political.
According to an Oct. 22 report by The Washington Post, Hegseth’s aides damaged a rare 30-inch globe associated with former President Dwight D. Eisenhower during a botched relocation in February 2026.
The globe dates to the 1930s and was reportedly used by Eisenhower while planning the D-Day invasion during World War II. It was one of two similar artifacts housed at the Pentagon.
Hegseth reportedly admired the globe and wanted it displayed in his office. Rather than wait for professional movers trained to handle fragile historical objects, his aides decided to tackle the job themselves.
What could go wrong?
“They lost control of the artifact and dropped it, sending the globe crashing on to its base and impaling the fragile shell near Antarctica,” one alleged source told the newspaper.
Photographs showed fragments scattered across a blue hallway carpet. Another image revealed a large gash near the bottom.
An alleged Army spokesperson confirmed the damage occurred during “an attempted move” and said the globe had separated from its rotating metal mount.
The globe never reached Hegseth’s office. Instead, the historic artifact is undergoing repairs.
The Pentagon tried to brush off the embarrassing episode, describing the globe as a replica.
“Accidents happen, we are grateful no one was harmed, and the globe is being repaired,” a spokesperson said, dismissing the report as an “inconsequential non-story.”
Social media users weren’t buying the damage control.
“Destroying historical antiquities is a war crime,” one person wrote on Threads. Another delivered a particularly fitting assessment: “’Hegseth broke the world.’ It’s too on the nose to even be poetic.”
A third called the incident “the epitome of selfishness,” while another noted, “His staff REALLY hates him for this story to get out.”
Others couldn’t resist turning the Pentagon’s latest embarrassment into a punchline.
“Okay but in his defense, he probably thought it was one of those globes with a liquor cabinet inside of it,” one Threads user joked.
“The inside of the White House is going to look like the aftermath of a frat party when this is over,” another predicted.
The incident adds to a growing collection of controversies surrounding Hegseth’s leadership.
In April 2025, he was mocked after reports surfaced about a Pentagon makeup room featuring a lighted mirror, a director’s chair, and a custom countertop. The makeover drew criticism amid federal spending cuts. Hegseth denied ordering a makeup studio.
Apparently, the Pentagon needed a little more camera-ready glamour.
By April 2026, Hegseth was facing a different kind of makeover problem. This time, a federal judge wasn’t impressed with his attempts to reshape press access. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman rebuked the Pentagon for trying to circumvent an earlier ruling that protected journalists’ rights.
Friedman accused Hegseth of trying to control what Americans could see and hear about the administration.
Then in May 2026, he picked another fight that quickly blew up in his face.
He accused Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of discussing classified information about depleted military stockpiles. Kelly responded with footage of Hegseth discussing the same issue during an April 30 public Senate hearing.
The damaged Eisenhower globe gives critics another reason to question his judgment.
For a defense secretary projecting discipline, having his staff reportedly smash a historic artifact is quite the achievement.
Eisenhower helped plan the invasion that liberated Europe. More than 80 years later, Hegseth’s team reportedly couldn’t get his globe down a Pentagon hallway.
Pete Hegseth reportedly wanted Dwight Eisenhower’s globe in his office, but did not want to wait for historians to move it and went rogue. Hegseth’s staff then attempted to move it themselves and broke the historic globe. https://t.co/JU2agk0ZhE
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) October 22, 2026
