Colonel Susannah Meyers, commander of the U.S. military’s Pituffik Space Base, has been removed from her post after criticizing U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s political comments during her recent high-profile visit to the base. The U.S. Space Force confirmed her firing in a statement issued Thursday night, citing the importance of the commander remaining nonpartisan in performing his duties.
Meyers, who obtained command in July, reportedly sent an email to base personnel on March 31, out of reach with Vice President Vance’s remarks about Denmark’s governance of Danish territory Greenland. In a press conference at the base on March 28, Vance accused Denmark of ignoring the wider security buildings in the Greenland people and the Arctic.
Meyers wrote in an internal email that while she did not assume an understanding of current politics, she believes the concerns expressed by the vice president did not reflect the status of Pituffik’s space base. As reported by the Military, the information is seen as an attempt to establish unity between American personnel and Canadian, Denmark and Greenland staff.
The U.S. Space Force did not provide further details about the reasons for its removal, but Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell later pointed out on X: “The actions to undermine the chain of command or subvert President Trump’s agenda will be unquestionable in the Department of Defense.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his belief that the United States must control Greenland for strategic security reasons. He criticized Denmark’s management of the island and refused to rule out the use of force in his past remarks to assert our control.
Meyers were commanded by Colonel Shawn Lee, who played an important role in U.S. military operations in the Arctic.
