Pentagon Dismisses Greenland Base Commander After Public Disagreement with VP Vance

The Pentagon has fired the commander of a U.S. Space Force base in Greenland following her public distancing from Vice President J.D. Vance’s statements during his recent visit.

Col. Susannah Meyers was relieved of her command at Pituffik Space Base after she sent an email to base personnel expressing that the concerns raised by Vice President Vance during his visit did not reflect the views of the base. In her email, Meyers stated, “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.” This action led to her dismissal, with the Space Force citing a “loss of confidence in her ability to lead” as the reason.

The incident occurred shortly after Vice President Vance’s visit to the Arctic base, where he criticized Denmark for treating Greenlanders as “second-class citizens” and accused the country of underinvesting in Greenland’s security and development. Vance’s visit was part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to strengthen U.S. presence in Greenland, which President Trump has described as crucial for national and international security.

Following Meyers’ dismissal, Col. Shawn Lee has taken over command of the base. The Pentagon emphasized the importance of commanders adhering to nonpartisan standards and warned against actions that undermine the chain of command or the administration’s agenda. The firing has been met with approval from several Republican senators, who viewed it as a necessary action to maintain discipline and alignment with the administration’s policies.