LONDON — The commander of the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland recently visited by Vice President JD Vance was removed from command on Thursday due to a “loss of confidence,” the Space Force said in a statement.
An official familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News that days after Vance’s visit, Col. Sussanah Meyers wrote an email to base personnel that distanced the base from some of the vice president’s comments about Denmark, of which Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory.
Meyers was removed from command by Col. Kenneth Klock — the commander of Space Base Delta 1, which is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs — on Thursday, the Space Force said in a statement.
“Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties,” it said. Col. Shawn Lee has now assumed command at Pituffik, the statement added.
In a statement provided to ABC News, Defense Department Chief of Staff Joe Kasper said, “Civilian control of the military is a bedrock principle of our armed forces. Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Defense Department.”
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, later provided a similar comment on X where he reposted the Space Force statement about Meyers being relieved of command.
“Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense,” Parnell wrote.
Military.com was the first to report the contents of the email, in which it said Meyers suggested that Vance’s criticisms of Denmark were not shared by Pituffik.
During his visit, Vance accused Denmark of failing to provide adequate security against “very aggressive incursions from Russia, from China and from other nations.” The vice president underscored President Donald Trump’s repeated suggestion that the U.S. needs to acquire Greenland for national security reasons.
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change,” he said.
Following the Military.com report, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., wrote to the acting secretary of the Air Force requesting a formal investigation. “If the facts confirm an act of insubordination or political grandstanding in uniform, then the Secretary of the Air Force has a duty to relieve Colonel Meyers of command without delay.”
“There must be no ambiguity,” wrote Schmitt. “Commanders do not freelance foreign policy, and no officer is above the expectation of apolitical service.”
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