Head of US Space Force base in Greenland is fired after Vance visit
Head of US Space Force base in Greenland is fired after Vance visit
Vice President JD Vance, left, listens to Col. Susan Meyers, right, during a briefing at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, Friday, March 28, 2025. (Jim Watson/Pool via AP)
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance listen to Col. Susan Meyers as they tour the U.S. military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, Friday, March 28, 2025. (Jim Watson/Pool via AP, File)
Vice President JD Vance, left, and second lady Usha Vance, board Air Force Two as they depart after touring Pituffik Space Base, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Greenland. (Jim Watson/Pool via AP)
Vice President JD Vance, left, listens to Col. Susan Meyers, right, during a briefing at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, Friday, March 28, 2025. (Jim Watson/Pool via AP)
Vice President JD Vance, left, listens to Col. Susan Meyers, right, during a briefing at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, Friday, March 28, 2025. (Jim Watson/Pool via AP)
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance listen to Col. Susan Meyers as they tour the U.S. military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, Friday, March 28, 2025. (Jim Watson/Pool via AP, File)
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance listen to Col. Susan Meyers as they tour the U.S. military’s Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, Friday, March 28, 2025. (Jim Watson/Pool via AP, File)
Vice President JD Vance, left, and second lady Usha Vance, board Air Force Two as they depart after touring Pituffik Space Base, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Greenland. (Jim Watson/Pool via AP)
Vice President JD Vance, left, and second lady Usha Vance, board Air Force Two as they depart after touring Pituffik Space Base, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Greenland. (Jim Watson/Pool via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The commander of a U.S. Space Force base in Greenland has been fired after she sent a base-wide email breaking with official messaging following Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the Danish territory that President Donald Trump is seeking to annex.
In a statement late Thursday, the Space Force said Col. Susan Meyers was removed as commander of Pituffik Space Base in Greenland over a “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 statement said.
Military.com reported Thursday that Meyers sent the base-wide email defending the base’s relationship with Denmark and Greenland following Vance’s visit two weeks ago.
A U.S. official confirmed Friday to The Associated Press that Meyers sent the email and its contents showing support for Greenland and Denmark. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to provide additional details not made public.
Greenland is a territory of Denmark, which is a NATO ally of the United States. Trump wants to annex the territory, claiming it’s needed for national security purposes, and Vance’s visit in late March set off heated rhetoric between the U.S. and Denmark, with Trump refusing to take the use of military force off the table.
In a post on X late Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell linked to the Military.com story and said that “actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense.”
Meyers’ firing was the latest in a series of terminations of senior military leaders, including several female leaders.
The Trump administration has previously fired Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan and U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO’s military committee.
Other key firings were Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Tim Haugh, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency.