US Space Force commander Colonel Susan Meyers, who was stationed in Greenland, was fired after sharing her stance on JD Vance’s visit to the territory.
The Trump administration wants to take Greenland
In case you missed it among all the recent news headlines, Donald Trump has been pretty set on taking over Greenland, with him at one point saying he’d get it ‘one way or the other.’
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Greenlanders have been meeting his sentiment with total disagreement, saying they don’t want to be under US rule.
JD Vance visited last month
Despite Greenlanders refusing the idea of being under US control, JD Vance went to visit the territory last month, and was met with negative reactions from Denmark, Greenlanders, and one US particular commander.
He wasn’t exactly visiting Greenlanders
According to the BBC, an overwhelming majority of Greenlanders are against the US taking over the territory.
Instead of meeting Greenlanders, JD Vance was only welcomed by US troops in the area. According to Sky News, he also made a remark on the weather as soon as he landed, saying, “It’s cold as sh*t here.”
Denmark didn’t like the visit either
Denmark, which has owned Greenland for more than 300 years but left it to be a semi-autonomous territory, didn’t like JD Vance’s visit either.
According to the BBC, the nation’s foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, said Danes were “open to criticism” but “do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered” in response to JD Vance saying Denmark isn’t protecting Greenland enough.
One US commander also had something to say
After Vance visited the Pituffik Space Base, which is under command of the US Space Force, the commanding officer in charge, Colonel Susan Meyers, wrote an email regarding his visit. The email resulted in her getting fired.
What she wrote in the email
In her email sent on 31 March, Colonel Meyers wrote, “I do not presume to understand current politics, but what I do know is the concerns of the US administration discussed by Vice President Vance on Friday are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base.”
She also reportedly wrote that she “spent the weekend thinking about Friday’s visit – the actions taken, the words spoken, and how it must have affected each of you.”
“I commit that, for as long as I am lucky enough to lead this base, all of our flags will fly proudly — together,” she added.
This email resulted in her getting fired
Colonel Meyers was removed from the job following this email, with a spokesperson for the US Space Force saying she had been removed by Colonel Kenneth Klock after a “loss of confidence in her ability to lead.”
They said she didn’t remain nonpartisan
The spokesperson said, “Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties.”
The remarks made by Vance during his visit regarding Denmark’s rule of the island weren’t exactly met with open arms by Greenlanders or Danes, but the Trump administration still seems keen on the idea of taking over the land anyway.