WASHINGTON: Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth ordered aides to fetch him a globe associated with legendary World War II General Dwight Eisenhower — and they broke it, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
According to the Post, the large orb fell while being carried by untrained staff, resulting in the loss of a large chunk of the world near Antarctica.
The Post reported that historic items are typically moved around the Pentagon premises by trained curators. However, Hegseth’s office had dispatched its own team. A Pentagon official said in a statement that “an accident” had occurred.
However, the statement referred to the artefact as “a replica of the Eisenhower globe” and the Washington Post report as an “inconsequential non-story.” Photographs published by the Post showed the hole in the Antarctica area and an accompanying plaque identifying it as one of two nearly identical, historic “Eisenhower Globes” in the Pentagon’s possession.
President Donald Trump’s secretary of defence has focused on promoting a muscular image for the US military, starting by attempting to restore the Department of War name which was dropped in 1947 for the Department of Defence.
Hegseth, who rose as far as major during an Army National Guard career before becoming a Fox News host, regularly does televised exercise routines with troops. He has ordered mandatory testosterone screening for male military staff over 30.
He is currently overseeing the eight-month war against Iran, which Trump has promised repeatedly to bring to a rapid conclusion.
Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2026
