US fires head of military base in Greenland over comments made about JD Vance
The commander of the US military installation in Greenland has been dismissed after expressing views contrary to the Trump administration's position on the Danish territory. This follows Vice President JD Vance's trip to Greenland last month after Donald Trump's promise to obtain the nation. However, the US has received three clear rejections from Greenland's citizens, the country's leaders, and Denmark.
During his visit to a military base last month, Vance faced backlash for a notable remark about Trump. When asked by a reporter about Trump's recent Greenland comments, he stated: "Well, the president said we have to have Greenland and I think that we do have to be more serious about the security of Greenland.
"We can't just ignore this place, we can't just ignore the president's desires but most importantly we can't ignore what I said earlier, that is the Russian and Chinese encroachment in Greenland, we have to do more.
"What the president said in his state of the union address, he was very clear about this, we respect the self determination of the people of Greenland, but my argument again to them is that I think you would be a lot better coming under the United States security umbrella than you have been under Denmark's security umbrella."
Susannah Meyers, who led the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, has been removed by US authorities after criticizing Washington's position on the territory. According to Military.com, Meyers distributed an email to the space base praising Vance's remarks during his recent Greenland visit.
The email reportedly stated: "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."
A statement from the Space Operations Command explains: "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.
Addressing Meyers' removal further, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote on Twitter: "Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump's agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense."
