The commander of a Space Force base in Greenland has been dismissed of her responsibilities following remarks regarding Vice President J.D. Vance.
Space Force Col. Susannah Meyers, the former leader of the Pituffik Space Base, was relieved of command on Thursday, Space Operations Command reported in a media statement, citing a “loss of confidence in her ability to lead.”
READ MOREVance stopped by the Pituffik base during his March 28 trip to Greenland. Meyers’ communication was sent several days after the vice president’s departure.
A Military.com article on Thursday identified Meyers as the sender of the email to all Pituffik employees.
Meyers said that she was thinking about Vance’s visit over the weekend.
“I do not presume to understand current politics,” she wrote, “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.”
The then-commander vowed to dig in to her position.
“I commit that, for as long as I am lucky enough to lead this base, all of our flags will fly proudly,” she wrote, “together.”
According to a source, this email was sent to all base workers, including those from Denmark and Greenland, and not just American military troops stationed there.
“Colonel Susannah Meyers, commander of Pituffik Space Base was removed from command by Colonel Kenneth Klock, commander of Space Base Delta 1, on April 10, 2025 for loss of confidence in her ability to lead. 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 media release said.
The USSF reported that Col. Shawn Lee has taken command of the Greenland base. Meyers’ departure was widely praised on social media.
“Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote on X.
Indiana Sen. Jim Banks also added his comments on X, writing, ““Colonel Meyers tried to politicize the Space Force and was held accountable. Lloyd Austin isn’t SecDef anymore.”
In late March, the U.S. delegation headed to Greenland, as President Donald Trump had expressed his desire to purchase the territory.
Shortly before her trip was announced, VP Vance suggested that the United States might need to “take more territorial interest in Greenland.”
Several times, Trump has expressed his desire to seize mineral-rich Greenland for the United States. He even told Congress that he wanted to take control of the region “one way or
another” because it would benefit “international security.”
Back in February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about Trump’s quest for the United States to purchase Greenland.
Megyn Kelly asked Rubio: “How does Greenland fit into all of this?”
“Well, the Arctic, which has gotten very little attention, but the Arctic circle and the Arctic region is going to become critical for shipping lanes. For how do you get some of this energy that’s going to be produced under President Trump? These energies rely on shipping lanes. The Arctic has some of the most valuable shipping lanes in the world. As some of the ice is melting, there’s become more and more navigable. We need to be able to defend that,” Rubio began.
“So if you project what the Chinese have done, it is just a matter of time before — because they are not an Arctic power. They do not have an Arctic presence. So they need to be able to have somewhere that they can stage from. And it is completely realistic to believe that the Chinese will eventually, maybe in the short-term, try to do in Greenland what they have done at the Panama Canal and in other places. And that is install facilities that give them access to the Arctic with the cover of a Chinese company, but that in reality serve a dual purpose,” he added.
Rubio continued, “That in a moment of conflict, they could send naval vessels to that facility and operate from there. And that is completely unacceptable to the national security of the world and to the security of the world and the national security of the United States. So the question becomes, if the Chinese begin to threaten Greenland, do we really trust that that is not a place where those deals are going to be made? Do we really trust that that is not a place where they would not intervene, maybe by force?”
“I think that’s been the president’s point. And that is that Denmark can’t stop them. They would rely on the United States to do so. And so his point is, if the United States is on the hook to provide — as we are now, we have a defense agreement with them — to protect Greenland if it comes under assault, if we’re already on the hook for having to do that, then we might as well have more control over what happens there. And so I know it’s a delicate topic for Denmark, but it’s, again, a national interest item for the United States,” Rubio said.
