The U.S. announced Thursday that it had relieved the commander of Pituffik Space Base in Greenland due to a “loss of confidence in her ability to lead,” following Vice President JD Vance’s publicized visit to the semiautonomous island last month. “Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote in a statement posted to X on Thursday announcing the removal of Col. Susannah Meyers.
After Vice President Vance’s visit to the island in late March, Military.com reported that Commander Meyers sent an email to personnel at the space base criticizing the vice president’s actions and remarks during the trip. Parnell later shared the Military.com article in a post on X. The news site reported the fired commander noted in the email, “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.”
Col. Shawn Lee has assumed command from Meyers, according to a press release from Space Operations Command, CNN reported, citing a Pentagon press release. The shakeup underscores ongoing efforts by the United States to assert greater control over Greenland, as President Donald Trump has pledged to acquire the territory “one way or another.” Vance has also insisted the island is strategically vulnerable and that the U.S. has “no other option” but to increase its presence there due to growing security threats globally.
Last month, Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, visited the U.S. Space Force outpost at Pituffik on Greenland’s northwest coast, roughly 1,000 miles from the capital, Nuuk. Usha Vance had initially planned to attend a dogsled race, but anticipated protests and silent demonstrations led to changes in her schedule. During his trip, the vice president made a high-profile case for American control of Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. He said Greenland would be better off “coming under the United States’ security umbrella than you have been under Denmark’s security umbrella.”