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Photographs Show Pentagon Damaged Eisenhower World War II Globe

By Drooid · Oct 23, 2026, 4:02 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Hegseth Staff Breaks Globe

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s staff broke a historic Eisenhower globe while moving it.
The move occurred on Feb. 3 during a partial government shutdown.
The 30-inch World War II-era floor globe received a several-inch gash near Antarctica.
The Washington Post obtained photographs showing the damage and a hole at the globe’s base.
Pentagon officials denied inspection and said the globe is being repaired.

Summary

Democrats Decry Globe

Democratic lawmakers condemned the globe mishap, with Rep. Troy Carter saying Hegseth “drops the ball—literally.”
The globe features Eisenhower’s green pen markings that highlight World War II European battle zones.
NBC News verified the damaged globe is the original, contradicting the Pentagon’s claim it is a replica.
Democrats framed the incident as a metaphor for the administration’s broader “breaking” of policies and norms.

History

Historical Context

In 1995, a knife-wielding vandal attacked Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in Paris’s Louvre Museum, leaving a six-centimeter slash on the painting. French police, museum director Pierre Miquel, conservator Jean-Claude Michelet, and UNESCO’s heritage team recorded the incident and allocated $1.2 million for meticulous restoration. Similarly, on Feb. 3 2024 the Eisenhower globe in Pentagon received a gash near Antarctica during move amid shutdown, drawing criticism from Rep. Troy Carter and Rep. Pete Hegseth. The episode revived calls for stricter security, echoing the post-1995 overhaul that added round-the-clock surveillance and a $2 billion budget boost for cultural preservation.

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Hegseth Staff Breaks Globe

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s staff broke a historic Eisenhower globe while moving it.
The move occurred on Feb. 3 during a partial government shutdown.
The 30-inch World War II-era floor globe received a several-inch gash near Antarctica.
The Washington Post obtained photographs showing the damage and a hole at the globe’s base.
Pentagon officials denied inspection and said the globe is being repaired.

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