Pituffik base commander fired for email criticizing VP Vance
The American armed forces have dismissed the commander of the Pituffik military base in Greenland. According to media reports, Col. Susannah Meyers allegedly sent an email to colleagues containing critical comments about Vice President J.D. Vance, who visited the soldiers stationed on the island.
The U.S. Space Operations Command stated in a release that the decision was due to a loss of confidence in Meyers' leadership abilities.
"Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards, especially in relation to maintaining neutrality in carrying out their duties," it was emphasized.
According to sources from the American industry portal Military.com, quoted by Danish media, Meyers allegedly acted inappropriately by sending an email to her subordinates on March 28 after Vance's visit, as well as to Danish, Greenlandic, and Canadian personnel employed at the base.
In this message, the commander supposedly distanced herself from Vance's remarks, who sharply criticized the Danish government at the Pituffik base for a lack of military investments in Greenland. "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.
She assured that as long as she leads this unit, "all of our flags will fly proudly — together."
During his visit to the Pituffik base, Vance had lunch with the soldiers and also delivered a speech broadcast live by the media. The U.S. Vice President stated that Denmark has not given Greenland appropriate priority and noted that both Russia and China are interested in this territory. "President Trump has made his vision for an enhanced security footprint in the Arctic abundantly clear, and the Vice President is committed to implementing the president's agenda," he stressed.
150 soldiers at the Pituffik base
The Pituffik base was established in 1952, under a Danish-American defense agreement, in the northwestern part of Greenland, by Baffin Bay. Initially, it was an air force base named Thule. In the following years, the base, equipped with hundreds of antennas and a radar, began monitoring the risk of a potential missile attack over the North Pole, such as from Russia or China. Experts emphasize that this distance is significantly shorter than through Europe and the Atlantic.
In 2023, the base was renamed Pituffik, and by decision of the US Department of Defense, the function of the facility was transformed from an air to a space operation. The role of the space forces stationed there is to analyze space and warn of ballistic missiles. According to media, there are currently about 150 soldiers at the base. Several hundred other people make up the support staff.
