Head of US Military Base in Greenland Fired After Disowning JD Vance's Controversial Remark

The commander of the U.S. military base in Greenland, Col. Susannah Meyers, has been relieved of her duties after reportedly pushing back against criticism made by US Vice President JD Vance during his recent visit to the base. 

Meyers, who had led the Pituffik Space Base—located in Greenland, a territory of Denmark—since July, was removed following an internal email she sent to base personnel on March 31. According to reports by Military.com, the email was meant to encourage unity among the diverse personnel at Pituffik, which includes Americans, Canadians, Danes, and Greenlanders.

“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 what appeared to be a clear response to Vance’s public remarks days earlier.

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During a March 28 press conference held at the base, Vice President Vance had sharply criticized Denmark’s stewardship of Greenland. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have under-invested in the people of Greenland and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful land mass,” he said.

The U.S. Space Force announced the leadership change Thursday night but gave no details beyond a standard statement: “Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties.”

Col. Shawn Lee has been appointed as Meyers’ replacement.

Pentagon says actions to undermine chain of command won't be tolerated 

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell reinforced the administration’s stance in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “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 long expressed interest in Greenland, describing it as strategically critical to U.S. security. He has not ruled out using force to occupy the island, a position that has drawn international scrutiny and pushback from Denmark in the past.

Meyers’ removal is stirring debate over politicization of military.