Overview

• The Pentagon said the plane landed under standard procedures and that everyone on board, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is safe.
• Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell disclosed the incident on X, attributing the diversion to a cracked cockpit windshield.
• Open-source flight trackers showed the C-32 descended and transmitted an emergency signal shortly after departing Brussels.
• No members of the Pentagon press corps were traveling with Hegseth on this trip, diverging from past practice.
• The episode follows other VIP aircraft issues reported in 2025, including a February C-32 windshield problem on a flight carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio.