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:
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 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:
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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