Hegseth's staff damaged a World War II-era globe used by Eisenhower while moving it to his Pentagon office
The Washington Post reported on Oct. 22 that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wanted Dwight D. Eisenhower's globe for his office and that his staff broke it. NBC News reported, citing three U.S. officials, that staffers from Hegseth's office tried to move the globe themselves instead of waiting for Army historians, dropped it, and left a hole in the lower part and damage to another area. NBC News reported that the incident happened in February. The Guardian and The Hill reported the damage to the globe. Snopes reported that a Pentagon official acknowledged the incident but said the globe was a replica, and that photos in the Post's reporting show a gash in the World War II-era artifact.
Artifacts tied to a military leader belong to the historical record kept by the Army's history office, which has its own handling rules. The reports raise a question about how senior officials treat collections held for the public and who is accountable when one is harmed. The dispute over whether the object was original or a copy matters for what was lost.
The globe is part of the public's historical heritage, not an office decoration, and taxpayers fund its care. Questions about how it was moved could lead to oversight requests or an inspector general review. Readers who follow the story can look for the Army's own account.
The Pentagon's account, as Snopes reported, is that an official acknowledged the incident but described the globe as a replica. On this view the loss is smaller than the headlines suggest.
The Washington Post and NBC News reported that the object was the World War II-era globe Eisenhower used, citing officials and photos showing a gash. On this view the damage to an original historical artifact is the central fact.
Confirmed: several outlets report that Hegseth's staff damaged a globe while moving it. Not confirmed: whether it was the original or a replica, since the accounts conflict. Watch for an Army or Pentagon statement and any call for an inspector general review.
DailyDrop U.S. No. 19 · October 23, 2026