The commander of the U.S. military base in Greenland, Col. Susannah Meyers, has been relieved of her duties after reportedly sending an email that appeared to distance the base from comments made by Vice-President JD Vance.
According to the U.S. Space Operations Command, Col. Meyers was removed from her position at Pituffik Space Base due to a “loss of confidence in her ability to lead.”
Last month, during a visit to Greenland, Vice-President Vance criticised Denmark, saying the country had not done enough for the people of Greenland or invested properly in security.
In response, a military news outlet published what is believed to be an internal email from Col. Meyers to base staff, stating that Vance’s remarks were “not reflective” of the base’s views.
A Pentagon spokesperson, referencing the report, said actions that appear to “undermine U.S. leadership” are not acceptable.
Following Vance’s trip, on 31 March, Col Meyers is reported to have written: “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.”
Military.com – which published the email – said the contents had been confirmed as accurate to them by the US Space Force.
Appearing to confirm this was the reason for her firing, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell linked to the Military.com article in a post on X, writing: “Actions [that] undermine the chain of command or to subvert President [Donald] Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense.”
The Space Force’s statement announcing Col Meyers’ removal on Thursday said that Col Shawn Lee was replacing her.
It added: “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. Susannah Meyers took over as commander of the Arctic base in July last year. She has now been replaced by Col. Lee, who previously led a squadron at the Clear Space Force Station in Alaska.
During his recent visit, Vice-President JD Vance repeated former President Donald Trump’s interest in the U.S. acquiring Greenland for strategic security reasons.
Since that visit, Greenland and Denmark have presented a united stance, firmly rejecting any idea of U.S. annexation of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Earlier this month, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen visited Greenland, where she appeared alongside Greenland’s current leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and former Prime Minister Mute Egede to reinforce their shared position.
Speaking to reporters, Frederiksen directly addressed Trump, telling him: “You can’t annex other countries.”
She added that Denmark was fortifying its military presence in the Arctic, and offered closer collaboration with the US in defending the region.
The US has long maintained a security interest in Greenland as a strategically important territory. It has had a military presence on the island since occupying it following the occupation of Denmark by Nazi Germany during World War Two.
“If Russia were to send missiles towards the US, the shortest route for nuclear weapons would be via the North Pole and Greenland,” Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, previously told the BBC.
“That’s why the Pituffik Space Base is immensely important in defending the US.”
Greenland, the largest island in the world, has been under Danish rule for about 300 years.
Surveys show that most Greenlanders support the idea of becoming independent from Denmark, but they do not want to become part of the United States.
Since 2009, Greenland has had the legal right to hold an independence referendum. In recent years, some political parties have been increasing pressure to make that vote happen.
