The Department of Defense has acknowledged that a World War II-era floor globe used by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower was damaged in an attempt to move it into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office earlier this year.

The Washington Post broke the news on Thursday of the failed relocation effort alongside a pair of images showing a gash that “appears to be several inches wide” on the side of the 30-inch globe.

Shortly after the Post’s story was published, a Defense Department spokesperson issued a statement to the outlet addressing the mishap.

“Accidents happen,” the statement read, “we are grateful no one was harmed, and the globe is being repaired.”

Previously, U.S. Army spokesperson Christopher Surridge had told the Post that the damage to the globe was sustained in an “attempted move” that took place Feb. 3. “The spherical portion of the globe was detached from the metal mounting that allows it to rotate” and it was not ultimately relocated, he said.

The timing of the attempted move is notable: It took place on the last day of the first of two partial government shutdowns this year.

While the relocation of a noteworthy artifact would typically require a joint effort between Hegseth’s staff and U.S. Army Center of Military History experts, the latter would have been furloughed amid the shutdown.

A source told the Post that Hegseth’s staff exhibited an “apparent lack of patience” and dispatched its own team to move the globe without consulting the furloughed history experts beforehand.

Though Hegseth has not commented publicly on the news, his interest in the globe isn’t especially surprising to those familiar with his background.

A former National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth has supported President Donald Trump’s efforts to rebrand the Department of Defense as the “Department of War.” Though Congress has not authorized the name change, Hegseth has also embraced the title of “secretary of war.”

In recent weeks, Hegseth has drawn intense criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike after pledging to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people and wounded dozens more in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.

The announcement prompted Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) to deem Hegseth “a failed leader.”

“Terrorist organizations will use this as a recruiting tool. It will radicalize other people,” Tillis said in an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired earlier this month. “And this is not who we are.”

Last week, Trump nixed Hegseth’s plans for the livestream.

“I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan,” he wrote on Truth Social. “But, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device.”

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