The officer in command of a US Area Drive base in Greenland was stripped of her command after she despatched out a mass e-mail that distanced herself from statements by Vice President JD Vance and the Trump administration days after his go to final month.
The Area Drive introduced late Thursday that it eliminated Col. Susannah Meyers as chief of Pituffik Area Base “for lack of confidence in her skill to guide.”
“Commanders are anticipated to stick to the best requirements of conduct, particularly because it pertains to remaining nonpartisan within the efficiency of their duties,” the Area Operations Command’s assertion learn.
Meyers, who assumed management of the 821st Area Base Group in July 2024, fired off a message to the troops in her command stating that the views mentioned by Vance throughout his go to on March 28 “aren’t reflective of Pituffik Area Base.”
“[I] spent the weekend fascinated by Friday’s go to — the actions taken, the phrases spoken, and the way it should have affected every of you,” she wrote to her subordinates within the e-mail obtained by Navy.com and verified by the Area Drive.
“I don’t presume to know present politics, however what I do know is the issues of the US administration mentioned by Vice President Vance on Friday aren’t reflective of Pituffik Area Base.”
“I commit that, for so long as I’m fortunate sufficient to guide this base, all of our flags will fly proudly — collectively,” Meyers added.
Meyers despatched out the e-mail on March 31, seemingly upset over feedback made by Vance about doubtlessly annexing Greenland.
The bottom-wide message was a extremely uncommon transfer, as publicly talking out once more the manager department is considered as not falling according to the commander-in-chief, and alerts to the world that the US navy is a disjointed drive.
Meyers — who spent almost 20 years as an Air Drive officer earlier than leaping branches to the Area Drive in Might 2021 — oversaw roughly 200 airmen and guardians whereas in control of the US’s northernmost navy set up.
Durning Vance’s go to, The Put up witnessed Meyers talking about her plans to retire within the subsequent few months.
The veep and the commander additionally had a pleasing dialog about polar plunges earlier than the briefing, with Meyers smiling and laughing as Vance learn out a certificates he noticed in her workplace concerning the plunge, together with a line about “lusty seals.”
In whole, 650 women and men, together with civilian contractors from Greenland, Denmark and Canada, stay and work at Pituffik Area Base.
Area Operations Command introduced that Col. Shawn Lee changed Meyers as Pituffik’s commanding officer.
“Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda is not going to be tolerated on the Division of Protection,” the assistant to the secretary of protection for public affairs, Sean Parnell, wrote on X, together with the Area Drive’s announcement.
Vance press secretary Taylor Van Kirk stated in a press release: “Vice President Vance is grateful for his go to to Pituffik Area Base and for the chance to satisfy with our courageous servicemen and girls stationed there.”
“President Trump has made his imaginative and prescient for an enhanced safety footprint within the arctic abundantly clear, and the Vice President is dedicated to implementing the President’s agenda. This consists of strengthening the partnership and cooperation between the USA and Greenland, which is vital for each American nationwide safety and the security of our companions worldwide.”
Members of the Senate Armed Providers Committee celebrated Meyers’ removing in a collection of X statements, with Sens. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) all praising the quickness of the DOD in getting her out.
Throughout his journey, Vance slammed Denmark for not doing a “good job by the folks of Greenland” and referred to as out Copenhagen for not investing extra into the world’s largest island’s “safety structure.”
“When the president says ‘We’ve obtained to have Greenland,’ he’s saying this island is just not secure,” Vance responded to a query from The Put up, singling out Russia and China as potential threats.
“Our message to Denmark could be very easy: You haven’t finished a very good job by the folks of Greenland. You’ve underinvested within the folks of Greenland, and you’ve got underinvested within the safety structure of this unimaginable, stunning land mass full of unimaginable folks.”
Trump repeatedly expressed his want to take management of Greenland and beforehand stated he wouldn’t rule out utilizing “navy drive” to make it occur.
Nonetheless, Vance stated the island’s roughly 57,000 everlasting residents would first have to decide on independence after which enter into partnership talks with the US.
Danish Overseas Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen scolded the Trump administration’s “tone” after Vance’s go to.
“We’re open to criticism, however let me be fully trustworthy — we don’t respect the tone wherein it’s being delivered,” Rasmussen stated in a video message in English on X.
“This isn’t the way you converse to your shut allies.”
Rasmussen cited the 1951 US-Denmark settlement that allowed the US to construct extra navy bases in Greenland and famous that each nations are a part of NATO and, due to this fact, share safety duties on the island already.
Initially overseen by the Air Drive and named the Thule Protection Space, the Greenland base was overtaken by the Area Drive in 2023 and renamed the Pituffik Area Base.
