Head of Space Force Base Fired After Vance Visit

The commander of a US Space Force base in Greenland has been fired for sending a base-wide email breaking with official messaging following Vice President JD Vance's visit to the Danish territory last month. In a statement late Thursday, the Space Force said Col. Susan Meyers was removed as commander of Pituffik Space Base over a "loss of confidence in her ability to lead," the AP reports. "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. During his controversial visit, Vance strongly criticized Denmark and reiterated President Trump's desire to annex Greenland, reports the BBC. Trump has not ruled out using military force.

Meyers was fired hours after Military.com reported on the email, in which Meyers said she had been thinking about the "actions taken, the words spoken" during the visit and how they must have affected personnel. "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," Meyers wrote in the email to Americans, Danes, Greenlanders, and Canadians at the base.

"I commit that, for as long as I am lucky enough to lead this base, all of our flags will fly proudly—together," Meyers wrote. 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." A Space Force official tells Military.com that Meyers is still serving in the military and has been reassigned to another role. (More Greenland stories.)