Trump Fires Insubordinate Space Force Commander; Military Officer Adherence to the U.S. Constitution in Question
“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.”
Last week I gave our loyal readers a heads up that STARRS (STAND TOGETHER Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services) was going to hold a Town Hall concerning service members who think that it is appropriate to denigrate President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth, engage in “malicious compliance,” and downright defiance of lawful orders issued by the Trump Administration, especially as regards the removal of DEI: U.S. Military Opposition to the Trump Administration A Matter of Concern:
There is an enormous problem in our nation’s military, one that I have not seen discussed in depth elsewhere. I have heard from multiple sources that many active duty officers openly and deeply despise the Trump Administration, and they are not at all shy about expressing their opinion both in and out of uniform. One active duty major I know estimates that it’s 1 in 4 who have this problem…
This is an astonishingly bad problem. Putting aside for the moment that this is a clear violation of Article 88 of the UCMJ, this is how military coups take place. I guess I should not be surprised given Mark Milley’s traitorous actions towards his Commander-in-Chief, but the fact that this has permeated to lower levels of the officer corps surprises me and causes me great worry. [emphasis added].
Well, the STARRS Town Hall was, in fact, held Wednesday at the appointed hour (noon Eastern). It was excellent, and we will have a full recap of it this weekend.
But…
In the meantime, a significant event occurred bearing on the subject of U.S. military officer adherence to their oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution.
First, Military.com has the story of the senior officer in Greenland who criticized Vice President Vance’s visit to Greenland in an email to U.S. servicemembers, and Danes and Greenlanders: Space Force Commander in Greenland Sent Out Email Breaking with Vance After His Visit:
Just days after Vice President JD Vance’s March visit to Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, the installation commander sent out an email to the base distancing it from Vance’s criticism of Denmark and its oversight of the territory, Military.com has learned.
Col. Susan Meyers, the commander of the 821st Space Base Group who also oversees the Pentagon’s northernmost military base, sent a March 31 message to all personnel at Pituffik seemingly aimed at generating unity among the airmen and Guardians, as well as the Canadians, Danes and Greenlanders who work there, following Vance’s appearance. She 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 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, which was communicated to Military.com.
The emailed remarks, confirmed as accurate to Military.com by the Space Force, mark a rare pushback within the ranks of the Trump administration’s repeated criticism and critiques of NATO members and longtime allies. A source familiar with the email said it was sent to all base personnel, including those from Denmark and Greenland on the installation.
Actually, that “pushback” is not as rare as Military.com thinks — see our previous reporting about the STARRS Town Hall and our upcoming recap — it is actually fairly pervasive.
Military.com continues:
Vance traveled to Greenland and spoke at the space base on March 28.
President Donald Trump and Vance have repeatedly spoken about their desire for the U.S. to take control of Greenland, which is a territory of fellow NATO member Denmark. Both Trump and Vance have also said they support the Greenland people’s right to self-determination, though polling has suggested a vast majority of residents there do not want to become part of the U.S…
The Space Force did not respond to Military.com questions sent Wednesday morning asking about additional context for Meyers’ email. It was not immediately clear whether Meyers was still serving as commander of the 821st Space Base Group following her email.
Department of Defense Chief of Staff Joe Kasper told Military.com in an emailed statement that “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.”
And now, Colonel Meyers has been fired.
From the New York Times: U.S. Military Removes Commander of Greenland Base After Vance Visit:
The U.S. military announced on Thursday that it had removed the commander of its Pituffik base in Greenland, adding that it would not tolerate any actions that go against President Trump’s agenda.
The decision to remove Col. Susannah Meyers was announced in a statement by the U.S. Space Force that was posted on social media by Sean Parnell, the chief spokesman for the Pentagon.
Sean Parnell’s X post:
Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump's agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense.
https://t.co/ITFeGw0kUf pic.twitter.com/MO68aje1X2
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellATSD) April 11, 2025
The Gray Lady continues:
While the statement didn’t cite a specific reason for her removal, Mr. Parnell said that “actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated.”
Mr. Parnell’s post contained a link to an article by Military.com [see above], an independent news organization, that said Colonel Meyers had sent an email to base staff distancing herself from Vice President JD Vance’s visit on March 28.
Mr. Vance visited the base as part of Mr. Trump’s push to take over Greenland, an island that is a semiautonomous part of Denmark, for national security reasons.
“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 Space Force said in the statement.
You can review the Space Force brief press release here:
Pituffik Space Base, Greenland — Colonel Susannah Meyers, commander of Pituffik Space Base was removed from command by Colonel Kenneth Klock, commander of Space Base Delta 1, on April 10, 2025 for loss of confidence in her ability to lead.
Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties.
Colonel Shawn Lee has assumed command.
My personal take is that Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s actions in this regard were entirely appropriate.
As a military member you swear an oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution. President Trump, Vice-President Vance, and Secretary of Defense Hegseth were all elected and/or appointed in an entirely constitutionally correct manner. In short, it was and is the will of the United States citizenry (through an overwhelming electoral college and popular vote victory) that Trump and Vance be President and Vice-President, respectively. No U.S. military member has the constitutional right to thwart the will of the people. And while military members will always have their own opinions about actions taken by their superiors (I certainly did during my 31 years of service), those opinions are best shared internally with the chain of command, not aired in public to subordinates and foreign citizens. Above all, military members must remain non-partisan in the execution of their official duties.
And let’s not forget that military officers serve, not on contract, as enlisted personnel do, but at the will of the President.
So this firing is entirely appropriate, and is an important step in regaining control of a military run rampant with officers who think they run the show.
They do not.
Read all of CP’s X Post:
I got out of the Army in 2007.
What I am seeing now with senior officers being publicly insubordinate to the National Command Authority is so far outside of the bounds of decency, professional responsibility and my experience that I have a very difficult time understanding how…
— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) April 11, 2025
I got out of the Army in 2007. What I am seeing now with senior officers being publicly insubordinate to the National Command Authority is so far outside of the bounds of decency, professional responsibility and my experience that I have a very difficult time understanding how it is even possible. What has happened in our military that this is even a thing? It is inconceivable that any of this could have happened on such a scale when I was serving on active duty. What went wrong?
What went wrong, indeed.
Other commentary from X:
Space Force Base, Col. Susan Meyers FIRED for insubordination
She wrote to those under her command:
“The concerns of the U.S. administration discussed by VP Vance are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base”
She fails to understand how chain of command works pic.twitter.com/SANXieQ7j4
— Phil Holloway
(@PhilHollowayEsq) April 11, 2025
Space Force Col. Susan Meyers has been relieved of her duties. Meyers previously criticized JD Vance for visiting Greenland. If Meyers cannot recognize the strategic importance of Greenland, she should not serve as a colonel in the Space Force. pic.twitter.com/sJRDAha13K
— Charles R Downs (@TheCharlesDowns) April 11, 2025
Col. Susan Meyers has been removed from her post as commander of the 821st Space Base Group over her entirely disrespectful comments.
https://t.co/B5vsMBVIJH
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) April 11, 2025
This is the FAFO Administration. Col Meyers FA'd and now she's FO'd.
BOO. YAH. This is precisely what I voted for. https://t.co/LzyqqJyb89
— Darth Cirrocu, Disinformation Expert (@DarthCirrocu) April 11, 2025
Stay tuned for our update of the STARRS Town Hall with all the gory details of how bad it is at present in the military.
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Comments
If she is dimwit enough not to learn anything from the other DEI Political hacks who got promoted well above their competence because they “played ball” and are now on the street I don’t want her running anything. No idea how she thought undermining her CIC in an email was a good idea
No problem. She just committed career suicide. Don’t know if she has her 20 in or not, but she’s done.
Indeed, but that points to the many who so far have been smarter than her and are hunkering down, waiting for an opportunity to sabotage the lawful orders they’re being given. These are far more dangerous and must be weeded out. Hint to DOD (if not already under way): have lists of ALL personnel hired during the Obama and Biden years ready, put them to the test (i.e. check everything they said and wrote while on duty), and get rid of as many of them as possible. And before anyone starts whining about McCarthyism, let’s remember that it’s exactly what they did during those years. The time has come for a massive cleanup.
I had a poor opinion for McCarthy until I saw declassified material about Communist activity in America in the 50’s, As it turned out, McCarthy was right, today we need a clone of McCarthy to deal with the current crop.
Being cashiered cannot be the end of this process for this general and her fellow travelers. Instead, it must only be the beginning. If a non-rate enlisted man made these comments about the base commander, there would be an immediate Article 32 investigation which would produce charges under Articles 88, 92 & 134. They would – properly – throw the proverbial book at him even without those contemptuous comments posing any credible threat to civilian control of the military.
When flag officers make these comments, it is a clear & present danger to a First Principle of our nation, civilian control of the military. There should be courts-martial. There must be courts-martial because if you allow command to utter these kinds of contemptuous comments about POTUS, how do you enforce any kind of discipline throughout the chain of command?
This one wasn’t a flag officer, like the NATO admiral.
And, yes, there needs to be an Article 88 court martial. Ensure she does not have a “Separation under honorable circumstances” on her record.
Yeah, I was thinking about Shoshana Chatfield, who was also cashiered last week.
I wish I could give you more than one uptick.
Any bets that she tries to sue?
any bets a judge will reinstate her?
I know the courts are absolutely crazy right now, particularly in District Courts, but as a practical legal matter, it’s impossible to challenge the president’s authority to remove military officers from their command assignments….for any reason. They quite literally serve at his pleasure. It’s a bit more complicated when it comes to outright dismissal from service. Presidents can dismiss officers from service during a time of war. Outside a time of war (the definition of which is murky), it takes conviction at court-martial for a commissioned officer to be dismissed.
Does being in the military (and subject to the UCMJ) excuse military personnel from violation of US laws? I’m not aware that it does.
18 U.S. Code § 2387 – Activities affecting armed forces generally
(a)Whoever, with intent to interfere with, impair, or influence the loyalty, morale, or discipline of the military or naval forces of the United States:
(1) advises, counsels, urges, or in any manner causes or attempts to cause insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty by any member of the military or naval forces of the United States;
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
To the extent that that statute conflicts with the first amendment it’s invalid.
She should be court martialed for insubordination and a whole host of other violations of the UCMJ.
While I have had my own opinions of the various CinCs that I have served under, no one – especially my subordinates – had an inkling of that opinion while wearing a uniform.
“I will obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appointed over me.”
No where in my oath of office did it state that I had the choice to decide what orders I would or would not follow.
It saddens me that any officer, let alone a flag grade or field grade officer would publicly undermine the President or Vice President.
As I retiree, I am able to voice my opinions as a US Citizen. However, if I were to be recalled to active duty, I would cease to voice my opinion so that I would not undermine the officers (to include noncommissioned, warrant, and commissioned officers) in the performance of their duties.
After her court martial finds her guilty, she should be sent to Leavenworth, fined, and loose her pension.
The Big Chicken Dinner seems appropriate. I suppose she was thinking “they already assigned me to Greenland. How much worse can it get?” Looks like she will find out.
Unfortunately for Officers that is not a thing. Worst thing that could happen to her would be reduction to the lowest Officer rand, 2cd Lt, and an other than honorable discharge.
The president, yes, but no one in the military is required to show respect for the vice president. The VP has no role in the military at all. This VP advises the President on all sorts of matters, and the President seems to value his advice, but that makes him no more important than Mr Musk, whose advice the President also seems to value. Military members are still free to express disrespect for him; so the same applies to Mr Vance as well.
The real problem here is not that she expressed disrespect for the VP, but that she implied that her base has a policy that is independent of and different from that of the President. That’s real insubordination.
UCMJ Article 88
Art. 88. Contempt toward officials
Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
Gee, the VP is specifically mentioned.
Colonel Susannah Meyers has learned a difficult lesson: Be woke and insubordinate, and you will get fired and humiliated along the way. I bet she hopes Morning Joe, Rachel Maddow, Dana Bash, and others will defend her anti-Vance, anti-Hegseth statements.
How long before we learn of some activist group that intends to file a lawsuit in a Washington, DC, or Maryland circuit court seeking her reinstatement for lack of due process?
How long until those same groups learn that is not how things work when the military justice and regulation system are involved?
I get it; you get it, but most activist groups don’t. They’re probably judge shopping as we speak. I can’t wait until the case, should they bring a suit, is thrown out.
Respectfully, Ghost, none of us has any idea if she has learned any lesson.
Bit of a stretch to assume she’s learned a damned thing.
Not only will the cretins you named defend her, they’ll give her a job and book deal with a 6-to-7 figure salary and bonus.
My comment from elsewhere:
What a shock. Another Obama/Biden DEI hire who thinks the military is a leftist activist organization where they are free to act on their ‘feelings’ and ignore the chain of command when they ‘feel’ like it.
ANY officer, at ANY level, from General all the way down to the newest boot butterbar, would be instantly fired if they publicly told the entire command that what their leadership said was ‘not reflective’ of how they intended to act.
Exactly. Let’s hope Meyers’ swift termination reinforces the intent and seriousness of the DoD’s chain of command protocols.
Barack Obama did grave damage to our military. I do have to entertain the probability it was intentional.
The progressives have attempted to take over every institution in America. Why would the military be exempt?
“And now, Colonel Meyers has been fired.”
That was pretty quick!
On the other hand, it was not a minute too soon.
So there.
I dare say that in plenty of corporations such public insubordination would have ended up with a similar result. I suspect that it is a nationwide culture problem, if not worldwide. Starting as a child, you get a participation trophy for doing little, no accountability for bad acts and few standards in between. Think of the shocking percentage for whom it OK to assassinate Trump, Musk, that health insurance executive actually killed, or destroying Tesla cars. (To this day I can remember riding the NY City subway the day JFK was killed. It was so somber that you could have heard a pin drop.)
Looks like Pituffik’s Colonel Susannah Meyers Pitfucked herself.
Her understanding of situational awareness alone should give her the door with a swift kick in the butt. Was she an academy grad? I bet so and that speaks addition nal volumes about the status if the younger officer core.
I’m old enough to remember when the warnings against bad-mouthing your CINC started under Clinton. It was a big deal then. If it isn’t made a big deal now, then it demonstrates how partisan (politics and religion) the military has become.
And, of course, it’s not the grunts (in the broadest sense) who pull this stuff. It’s the folks with the sit-down jobs – even if they are in an armpit assignment.
It’s the folks with an edjumacation. Even though they may be in the military, they’re part of the “professional class” that believes it has the authority to run this country without any oversight from the people or their elected officials. They’re bound and determined to do what they (and others in the same bubble) think because they have an inflexible belief in their own correctness and superiority.
I’m conflicted about this. I suspect I’m not reading the crucial sentence the same way everyone else is.
You have here the commander of a base in charge of an international team consisting of Americans, Danes, and Greenlanders. Vance arrives and makes a speech about the tensions and rivalries those three principalities are having. In an effort to head off team disunity as a result of this speech, the commander assures her workers that the tensions that may be present on the global stage do not translate to the people under her command, that they all work together well and can continue to do so. “The concerns of the U.S. administration discussed by Vice President Vance on Friday are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base,” What else can she say to attempt to prevent everyone’s mission from falling down around their ears? And in no way is that statement critical of administration policy.
Now, I’ll grant that her statement about flying all three flags above the base as long as she commanded it was more problematic, as it is a promise she doesn’t have the power to keep, and should never have been made.
If the Danish/Greenland civilian contractors needed a pep talk to rally their flagging spirits then Colonel Meyers (silver woke cluster) should’ve held a pep rally for them at the local high school gym and served hot cocoa and danish sugar cookies and then played a few rounds of pickleball.
I don’t think that’s a Silver Oakleaf Cluster award on her shoulder. Assuming the picture posted in this article is current, I think Susannah Meyers isn’t a Colonel (O6). She’s a Lieutenant Colonel (O5), although the proper way to address her would be “Colonel”. On paper she should write and sign her name LTC Meyers.
She should have made quiet, private reassurances that the foreign policy impacted little on how the team did their military job. And she should have left it at that.
What she can say — PRIVATELY to whomever is directly above her in the chain of command — is “Sir, I believe Vice President Vance’s remarks yesterday will cause everyone’s mission to fall down around their ears. This is what I propose to prevent that happening. Do I have your permission?”
ever hear that “Silence is Golden”?
It would appear as if you have never been in the military from your clueless statement. If you have, it is even worse. She is an officer in the US Space Force and serves at the pleasure of the CiC. His policies are her policies PERIOD. She doesn’t have any say in the matter and neither do any groups under her command.
Well I understand your point. It’s not a bad point, If you want to give her a benefit of the doubt you would say her statement is poorly worded. She could have written;
Vice President Vance on Friday discussed a number of concerns. I can tell you our international team consisting of Americans, Danes, and Greenlanders has been working exceeding well at Pituffik base without any tensions and rivalries brought on by country of origin, and we will continue to do so.
Or words to that effect. She didn’t. Seeing as she is in somewhat of a diplomatic position as commander of the base she is not allowed the latitude for such a poorly worded statement. It is right that she be relieved of command.
I appreciate this comment. To me the fundamental problem with her statement is she wanted to make it about her personal disagreement with Vance rather than about a spirit of team work among the base personnel.
I thought the same thing. But having experience in a police department (a paramilitary organization), it was the stated policy that you could be held to account by someone’s perception of what you said, regardless of the meaning you were attempting to convey. (BTW, when I was in the military, this sort of thing just never happened, so I don’t know how “perception” and “intent” would have influenced a discussion over a comment that could be construed to have a negative effect on readiness or discipline.)
Maybe too many women are getting positions above their “Peter Principle” capabilities??? Check out the universities.
She earned herself a court martial and a Pittifuk.
Indeed, with reduction in rank and forced retirement if she’s very lucky. More properly, dishonorable discharge without pension. She is not worthy of respect.
.
I down, 100 more to go before I feel safe that our Military will protect us.
Forgive me for my ignorance but what does “Fired” mean in this case? Simply removed from her position, or separated from military service?
Thanks
Relieved of command. Effectively ending her career. What happens now is the DoD ‘system’ determination of how large a signal they want to send. They could simply force her exit. They could reduce her in grade. They could bring charges and go to Court Martial. In theory she could do time in military prison but that’s extremely unlikely. My guess is a reduction in grade and forced retirement.
Thanks
Perhaps this twit and similarly subversive/insubordinate retired general “I want to learn about ‘white rage’,” Milley, can start a podcast together.
Okay, Without doing any research I’m betting she’s either a lesbian or queer (not that there is anything wrong with that.) Any takers? She at least claims to be a woman and not something else.
The comments here on LI have reached an even new low. “Without doing any research” ztakddot writes that she is “either a lesbian or queer.” Where is Fuzzy Slippers when you need her?
Can you imagine poor Professor Jacobson having to defend his blog’s comments section with comments like that? Legal Insurrection would raise its credibility and influence by 1,000 percent if it deleted its comments and just posted the excellent posts by its editors and Professor Jacobson.
I betting your queer or a lesbian as well.
Congrats. 1 comment without displaying TDS. We all knew you could do it. I didn’t think so but I’m sure someone did. Probably.
But then where would you go to vent your bile?
Imagine the amount of gall in his bladder. Perhaps he should find another muslin surgeon to remove it.
What part of “. . . I’m betting . . .” do you not understand?
You post fake quotes and plagiarize, JR. Clutch those pearls, nancy.
The US’ response to this insubordination should depend on what is best with respect to our strategy in Greenland. If she needs to serve 30 years in prison, fine. If she just needs to be discharged, fine. She really doesn’t matter. It’s not about her.
But I suspect too much leniency would encourage deficient morale at Pituffik, and that would be unacceptable.
If she had realized her relative importance in the chain of command, a colonel vs. the president, she would still have her job.
Ok, Maybe I am nitpicking, but what is with these command level officers and them meeting the Sec. Def. and the VP in raggidy BDU’s. If the VP visits your base you at least pull out the A’s.
They should be reprimanded just for that.
Negative. It depends on a number of factors: the nature of the visit, the identity/rank/position of the visitor, the expressed preference of the visitor, etc.
She claimed to speak for the entire base, and she mass broadcasted it in a way that is instantly documented for the record by sending it to every contact on her email list.
She should have only said it was her personal opinion, and communicated it verbally behind closed doors so she could have said she was misinterpreted if necessary. But even then she would risk being re-assigned to different post far away.
Just going on what’s quoted in this post, I don’t see any disrespect for the commander in chief. I see a statement that the base’s policy is independent of that of the administration, and differs from it, and that’s bad. That’s enough to justify removing her.
But as far as disrespect shown to the Vice President, he is not in any way her superior. Being vice president doesn’t make him some kind of “deputy commander in chief”. It doesn’t give him any role at all in the military.
The only reason he’s even allowed on base is because he’s one of the President’s trusted advisers, so what he says should be assumed, absent evidence to the contrary, to be the President’s policy, and should not be contradicted in public.
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