U.S. fires head of military base in Greenland after JD Vance visit ‘for undermining chain of command’

Colonel Susannah Meyers emailed base staff distancing herself from the Vice President’s visit

The U.S. military has removed the commander of its Greenland Pituffik base after Vice PresidentJD Vance’s controversial visit.

Colonel Susannah Meyers emailed base staff distancing herself from the Vice President’s visit, according to the independent news outlet Military.com, as the White House has been mounting pressure to acquire the mineral-rich Arctic island from Denmark.

“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,” Meyers wrote in the email.

Pentagon’s lead spokesman Sean Parnell did not provide a specific reason for Meyers’ removal on Thursday, but posted on X with a link to the Military.com article.

“Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump's agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense,” he wrote.

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance during a tour of Pituffik Space Base (AP)

Vance travelled to the base with a U.S. delegation on March 28 following repeated threats from Trump to control the island.

During the visit, he criticized Denmark’s management of Greenland, saying it had underinvested in Greenland’s security and claimed the island would be safer under U.S. control.

His remarks provoked further backlash from both Greenlanders and Danish citizens and politicians.

“This is not how you speak to your close allies,” Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said.

Vance attends a briefing at U.S. military's Pituffik Space Base (Reuters)

In response to Trump’s threats, Greenland's new prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen reiterated that Greenland is not for sale.

“Let me be clear: The United States will not get that. We do not belong to others. We decide our own future,” Nielsen previously said.

The prime minister is hoping for Greenland to achieve independence from the Kingdom of Denmark through economic self-reliance. The island is not currently part of the European Union but it receives millions of euros a year from Denmark.

“We must not be shaken,” Nielsen posted on Facebook Sunday, after the U.S. delegation visit. “We must react with calm, dignity and unity. And it is through these values ​​that we must clearly, distinctly and calmly show the American president that Greenland is ours.”