Pentagon fires commander of Greenland base that Vance visited

Space Force cites ‘loss of confidence’ in Colonel Susannah Meyers over email pushing back on vice president’s comments

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance listen to Colonel Susannah Meyers as they tour the US military's Pituffik Space Base in Greenland last month.

The Pentagon has removed the commander of an American military base in Greenland after she sent an email pushing back on comments by Vice President JD Vance during a March visit that the US should take control of the Arctic island.

Colonel Susannah Meyers, the commander of Pituffik Space Base, was removed from command on Thursday for “loss of confidence in her ability to lead,” a Space Force spokeswoman said.

“Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties,” the spokeswoman added.

Meyers was replaced by Colonel Shawn Lee, according to the Space Force.

During his visit to the remote base on March 28, Vance defended President Trump’s push for the US to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. In remarks to assembled American servicemen and women at the base, he argued that Denmark wasn’t doing a good job of securing the massive island.

On March 31, Meyers sent an email to staff at the base distancing the base’s leadership from Vance’s comments.

“I do not presume to understand current politics, but what I do know is the concerns of the US administration discussed by Vice President Vance on Friday are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base,” Meyers wrote in the email, according to a defence official.

The message was a rare moment of pushback from within the military ranks to the Trump administration, which has realigned US foreign policy by pushing to normalise US ties with Moscow and distancing the US from traditional allies in Europe and elsewhere.

The email was earlier reported by Military.com.

Vance’s comments during his visit to the Greenland military base signalled how determined the administration is in its effort for the US to take Greenland, a vast landmass in the Arctic with more than 50,000 indigenous and other residents. The comments heightened tensions with Denmark, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

“Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance said during the base visit. “You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change.”

Trump offered to buy Greenland from Denmark in his first term and raised the matter again after he won a second term in 2024. Both Greenlandic and Danish leaders have pushed back on Trump’s comments, saying the island isn’t for sale.

The push to take Greenland is part of Trump’s broader stated aim of American territorial expansion. He has also talked about making Canada the 51st state and regaining control of the Panama Canal.

Since taking office, the Trump administration has removed a series of senior military leaders. In recent days, officials fired US Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who was a senior official in NATO. Chatfield was among a handful of female three-star generals and the first woman to lead the US Naval War College.

Meyers became commander of Pituffik Space Base, which is the northernmost American military base in the world, last July.

Wall Street Journal