Daniel Wolfram
Refusing to wait a few hours for professional curators, Hegseth’s aides tried a DIY job where they took out Antarctica. Now, the entire Pentagon is laughing at them.
According to a report by The Washington Post, Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, wanted an iconic 30-inch floor globe used by General Dwight Eisenhower moved into his private Pentagon office.
Two of the rare artifacts, dating back to the 1930s, sit inside the military headquarters under the care of Army custodians.
Nonetheless, Hegseth insisted that he get the artifact moved into his office. That is where the trouble began.
A gash across Antarctica
To preserve the history of the artifacts, professional curators are the only ones who are normally allowed to handle them. But when the request arrived in early February, the custodians were furloughed because of a partial government shutdown over federal immigration policy.
Instead of waiting for experts to return once funding resumed that afternoon so they could carefully move Eisenhower’s globe, Hegseth’s aides decided to take care of relocating the artifact themselves.
That move turned out to be disastrous. Hegseth’s staff lost their grip on the globe and dropped the heavy antique. An “apparent lack of patience” caused the disaster when the dropped globe suffered a gash several inches wide near Antarctica and broke away from its mounting.
World War oops
The cracked globe never reached the secretary’s desk. Army spokesman Christopher Surridge did not dispute The Post’s report that the damage occurred during an “attempted move,” noting that the item was ultimately not relocated after it was dropped.
Inside the Pentagon, news of the gaffe by Hegseth’s staff spread fast. Staffers started to make the situation a running joke in the hallways, viewing the mishap as a telling sign of the secretary’s headstrong style and appetite for wartime nostalgia.
Behind the scenes, Hegseth has already drawn sharp pushback for adopting the unauthorized title “Secretary of War” and leading a Christian religious crusade.
Outside observers offered an even harsher verdict. Retired Brigadier General Ty Seidule told The Post, “Hegseth wants an Eisenhower totem to be like Ike, brilliant in war and peace.”
“Hegseth is no Ike. The globe won’t give him Ike’s attributes of humility, intellect and judgment,” Seidule argued.
