US fires head of military base in Greenland over comments made about JD Vance
Topics: Donald Trump, Greenland, Politics, US News, JD Vance
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Jim Watson - Pool / Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Greenland, Politics, US News, JD Vance
The head of the US military base in Greenland had been fired after distancing herself from the Trump administration's stance on the Danish territory.
Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland last month after Donald Trump's vow to acquire the nation.
But the US has been hit with a trifecta of ‘we are not interested’ responses from the people of Greenland, politicians of the nation, as well as Denmark.
Speaking at a military base last month, Vance faced criticism for a surprising comment he made in relation to Trump.
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Answering a question from a reporter about Trump's latest comments about Greenland, he said: “Well, the president said we have to have Greenland and I think that we do have to be more serious about the security of Greenland.
"We can’t just ignore this place, we can’t just ignore the president’s desires but most importantly we can’t ignore what I said earlier, that is the Russian and Chinese encroachment in Greenland, we have to do more.
“What the president said in his state of the union address, he was very clear about this, we respect the self determination of the people of Greenland, but my argument again to them is that I think you would be a lot better coming under the United States security umbrella than you have been under Denmark’s security umbrella."
Susannah Meyers, the commander of the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, has been removed by the US after slamming Washington's stance on the territory.
Military.com reports Meyers send out an email to the space base commending the comments made by Vance during his recent visit to Greenland.
The email reportedly read: "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."
Colonel Shawn Lee has since been announced as Meyers' replacement.
A press release from the Space Operations Command states: "Colonel Susannah Meyers, commander of Pituffik Space Base was removed from command by Colonel Kenneth Klock, commander of Space Base Delta 1, on April 10, 2025 for 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.
"Colonel Shawn Lee has assumed command."
Speaking further about the removal of Meyers, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote on Twitter: "Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump's agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense."