Head of US Military Base in Greenland Fired with Reference to Partisan Behaviour
Hosted White House delegation two weeks ago: As the then Commander of Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, Colonel Susannah Meyers hosted a visit from US Vice President J.D. Vance to the base on March 28th. Second Lady Usha Vance, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright accompanied him. (Photo: Jaime Sanchez/US Space Force)
Colonel Susannah Meyers was recently removed as commander of the US Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. “Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump's agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense,” said chief Pentagon spokesperson.
"Colonel Susannah Meyers, commander of Pituffik Space Base, was removed from command by Colonel Kenneth Klock, commander of Space Base Delta 1, on April 10th, 2025, for loss of confidence in her ability to lead," stated the US Space Operations Command (SpOC) on Thursday.
"Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties," SpOC added.
This announcement was shared by Sean Parnell, Chief Spokesperson in the US Department of Defense, on X on Friday.
"Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump's agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense," he commented.
Email after Vance's visit
In his X post, Parnell also links to an article on Military.com.
According to this news website, Colonel Meyers sent an email distancing the base from US Vice President J.D. Vance's statements during his visit to Pituffik on March 28th.
"Denmark has not kept pace and devoted the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view, to keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of very aggressive incursions from Russia, from China, and other nations," said Vance without substantiating his claims, Reuters reported.
The visit took place in the wake of US President Donald Trump's stated project of gaining control over Greenland while referring to national and international security.
Also read (the article continues):
“Not reflective”
Military.com claims to have gained insights into the e-mail, which is said to have been addressed to both US, Danish, and Greenlandic personnel at the base.
The email's authenticity has been confirmed by the US Space Force, according to the news website.
Furthermore, Military.com quotes Meyers on the following:
"I spent the weekend thinking about Friday's visit – the actions taken, the words spoken, and how it must have affected each of you."
"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."
As acting commander in March, Colonel Susannah Meyers briefed US Vice President J.D. Vance on the mission at the base. Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) is the northernmost US military installation and plays a central role in missile warning, space surveillance, and satellite command and control. (Photo: Jaime Sanchez/US Space Force)
Oath to the US Constitution
During his first term as president, Donald Trump is said to have demanded total loyalty from American military leaders.
This was described in the book The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017–2021 written by the journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, which was reported on by i.a. the Washington Post.
Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, now retired general, has been an outspoken opponent of such an understanding of the relationship between the president and the military.
"We don't take an oath to a king, or queen, or a tyrant or a dictator. We don't take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution, and we take an oath to the idea that is America, and we're willing to die to protect it," Milley said in his farewell speech as CJCS in the fall of 2023.
Relevant in this context is also that he is quoted as saying that Trump is “fascist at his core” in Bob Woodward’s book War, published in the fall of 2024.
New Joint Chiefs chairman
Milley's successor as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown Jr., was fired by Trump on February 22nd.
The initially retired Lt. General Dan Caine, nominated by the president, was confirmed by the Senate as the new CJCS on Friday. With the new title and rank of general, Caine was sworn in yesterday, Monday.
