By Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg News (TNS)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plane was forced to make an unscheduled landing in the UK after sustaining a cracked windshield, according to the Pentagon.

Hegseth was heading back to the U.S. from Belgium when the incident occurred off southern Ireland. The plane reported the 7700 code, indicating a general emergency, lowered its altitude to 10,000 feet and landed at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, according to data on Flightaware.com .

Hegseth was returning home after a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

“The plane landed based on standard procedures and everyone onboard, including Secretary Hegseth, is safe,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.

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