Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth asked aides to retrieve a globe linked to legendary World War II General Dwight Eisenhower, only for them to break it, a report said Thursday.
The large orb fell while being carried by untrained staff, resulting in the loss of a large chunk of the world near Antarctica, The Washington Post said.
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.
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.
The Army acknowledged the damage in a statement to the Post. Army spokesperson Christopher Surridge said the globe was damaged during an "attempted move" on Feb. 3. Aside from the hole, "the spherical portion of the globe was detached from the metal mounting that allows it to rotate," Surridge was quoted.
After the report, a Defense Department official provided the Post with a brief, unattributed statement acknowledging the mishap.
"Accidents happen," it said. "We are grateful no one was harmed, and the globe is being repaired."
President Donald Trump's secretary of defense has focused on promoting a muscular image for the U.S. military, starting by attempting to restore the Department of War name, which was dropped in 1947 for the Department of Defense.
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.
Eisenhower led the U.S. war effort against Nazi Germany, commanding the D-Day landings that launched the phase of conflict leading to Adolf Hitler's defeat.
A five-star general, he was then elected president in 1952, taking the helm of the White House as the Cold War gathered pace. He was often photographed posing alongside elaborate globes.