U.S. fires Greenland military base chief for challenging JD Vance’s visit – National
A senior U.S. military base official stationed in Greenland has been let go from her position after allegedly sending an email condemning Vice-President JD Vance’s comments about Denmark’s handling of the large island nation.
In a statement on Thursday, the U.S. military’s Space Operations Command said Col. Susannah Meyers, commander of Pituffik Space Base, was “removed” on Thursday for “loss of confidence in her ability to lead.”
“Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties,” it continued.
In late March, Vance argued Denmark had “not done a good job” for Greenland, saying it failed to spend enough on security during his and his wife’s highly contentious visit to the autonomous Danish territory.
Meyers reportedly sent an email to Pituffik staff saying Vance’s comments were “not reflective” of the base.
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Military news site military.com, which published the alleged note, says Meyers told staff she had been ruminating on the Trump administration’s visit on March 28, writing on March 31 that she had “spent the weekend thinking about Friday’s visit — the actions taken, the words spoken, and how it must have affected each of you.”
“I do not presume to understand current politics, but what I do know is the concerns of the U.S. administration discussed by Vice President Vance on Friday are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base,” Meyers wrote, according to the posted email.
Military.com says a source familiar with the email said it was sent to all base personnel, including Danish and Greenlandic staff on-site, adding that the correspondence was confirmed as legitimate by the U.S. Space Force.
In a post on X on Thursday, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell shared a screenshot of Meyers’ dismissal announcement, alongside the comment, “Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense.”
In its statement announcing Meyers’ dismissal, Space Command said she would be replaced by Col. Shawn Lee.
Meyers assumed her former position at the U.S. military base in July last year. Before taking over Meyers’ role, Lee was a squadron commander at the Clear Space Force Station in Alaska.
During the vice-president’s short visit to the vast snowcapped island, which was initially planned as a trip for his wife Usha and a small delegation of senior White House officials, Vance doubled down on Trump’s intentions to annex Greenland, which is home to vast stores of mostly untapped mineral resources and occupies an increasingly important geographical position in an everchanging geo-political landscape.
The visit was widely condemned by Danish and Greenlandic leaders, who were in the process of forming a new government at the time of Vance’s arrival.
Days before Vance landed in Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish channel TV 2 that “unacceptable pressure [was] being placed on Greenland and Denmark in this situation. And it is pressure that we will resist.”
Earlier this month, on her first official visit to the island territory since Vance’s unsolicited stopover, Frederiksen stood alongside her Greenlandic counterpart Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and his predecessor, Mute Egede.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (C), Greenland’s acting head of government Múte Bourup Egede (R) and newly elected head of government Jens-Frederik Nielsen (L) hold a press conference aboard the Danish navy inspection ship Vaedderen in Nuuk, Greenland, on April 3, 2025.
Mads Claus Rasmussen / Getty Images
During a press conference, Frederiksen addressed Trump directly, saying, “You can’t annex other countries,” adding that Denmark is ramping up its military presence in the Arctic and offering to grow its collaboration efforts in defending the region.
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