Colonel Susannah Meyers, commander of the US military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, has been removed from her post following her criticism of recent political comments made by US Vice President JD Vance during a high-profile visit to the base. The US Space Force confirmed her dismissal in a statement released late Thursday, citing the importance of commanders remaining nonpartisan in the execution of their duties.
Meyers, who assumed command in July, reportedly sent an email to base personnel on March 31 distancing the base from Vice President Vance’s remarks about Denmark’s governance of Greenland, a Danish territory. During a March 28 press conference at the base, Vance accused Denmark of neglecting both the people of Greenland and the broader security architecture of the Arctic region.
In her internal email, Meyers wrote that while she did not presume to understand current politics, she believed the concerns expressed by the vice president did not reflect the position of Pituffik Space Base. The message, as reported by Military.com, was seen as an attempt to foster unity among American personnel and the Canadian, Danish, and Greenlandic staff stationed there.
The US Space Force did not provide further details on the reasons behind her removal, but Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell later stated on X that “actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced his belief that the United States must gain control of Greenland for strategic security reasons. He has criticized Denmark’s stewardship of the island and, in past remarks, refused to rule out the use of force to assert US control.
Meyers has been succeeded by Colonel Shawn Lee as commander of the base, which plays a significant role in US military operations in the Arctic region.