Pete Hegseth's Staff Broke A Priceless Eisenhower Artifact After He Demanded To Have It In His Office—And Yep, That Tracks

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his staff members are facing heavy criticism after they tried to move former President Dwight D. Eisenhower's nearly 100-year-old globe into Hegseth's office instead of waiting for professionals, and ended up breaking it.

The globe needed to be handled with care because it is a remarkably delicate artifact that dates back to the 1930s and was used by Eisenhower during World War II.

Sure enough, according to the Washington Post, which broke the story:

"Two floor globes said to be used by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II are housed in the Pentagon, where subsequent generations of Army leaders became custodians of the artifacts, according to people familiar with their lineage and an accompanying plaque dating them to the 1930s."

"The historical significance was attractive to Hegseth, these people said, and his staff requested that the secretary’s office become the new home to one of the 30-inch globes."

"Ordinarily, moving historical items within the building is a deliberate process overseen by trained curators. Instead, Hegseth’s staff dispatched its own team to relocate an Eisenhower globe. They lost control of the artifact and dropped it, sending the globe crashing onto its base and impaling the fragile shell near Antarctica, according to those familiar with the incident. The resulting gash appears to be several inches wide."

The publication's military affairs reporter Dan Lamothe, who co-authored the story with his colleague Alex Horton, noted that The Post had obtained photos of the damage.

Sure enough, a photo shows the damage described in the report.

The Army acknowledged that a globe was damaged during an attempted move on February 3, saying its spherical section detached from the metal mount that allowed it to rotate and that the relic was ultimately not relocated. The Army referred questions about who was responsible for the move to Hegseth’s office, whose spokespeople declined to comment.

After the Post published its report, a Defense Department official issued a brief statement acknowledging the mishap, saying, “Accidents happen,” and confirming that the globe was being repaired. The department did not disclose the repair costs or expected completion date.

The news, critics observed, serves as a perfect example of the Trump administration's reckless "smash and break things" approach to policy.

This pretty much says it all about Hegseth's "leadership" or lack thereof.