The Pentagon has dismissed Colonel Susannah Meyers, commander of the US military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, following an internal email in which she distanced the base from Vice President JD Vance’s remarks during a recent visit, according to Politico.
The move underscores the Trump administration’s hardline stance against dissent within the armed forces, with officials declaring that actions to “subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated.”
Meyers, who led the strategically vital Arctic installation, sent an email to personnel on 31 March–three days after Vance’s visit–expressing concern over the political fallout from the vice president’s comments. In the message, obtained by Military.com, she wrote:
“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.”
She added a pledge to uphold unity among the multinational personnel at the base, stating: “All of our flags will fly proudly–together.” The email, described as an attempt to reassure troops unsettled by Vance’s rhetoric, was later cited by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell as evidence of Meyers “undermining the chain of command.”
The dismissal follows Vance’s 28 March visit to Pituffik, where he accused Denmark of neglecting Greenland’s security and infrastructure, claiming the US would better protect the territory from foreign influence.
His remarks, which aligned with President Trump’s longstanding ambition to acquire Greenland, drew sharp rebukes from Danish and Greenlandic leaders. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen criticised the “tone” of Vance’s address, while Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen rejected US annexation as a “threat to our political independence.”
Meyers’ removal appears part of a wider pattern. The Trump administration has ousted several high-ranking officers recently, including NSA Director Gen. Tim Haugh and NATO Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, without public explanation.
Colonel Shawn Lee has been named as Meyers’ successor. The Pentagon emphasised that commanders must remain “nonpartisan,” a stance critics argue clashes with the administration’s politicisation of military posts.
