Five news reporters and two members of the military were briefly detained at gunpoint by security officers at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Monday. The individuals, who had been invited to an event, were reportedly mistaken for gate crashers.
The incident occurred ahead of an invitation-only groundbreaking ceremony for a new training facility for missile operators at the base. Reporters from Noozhawk and KEYT were among those detained, and both outlets subsequently published accounts of the event.
According to news reports, the group was traveling in a convoy, escorted by uniformed public affairs staff in a government minivan, when security officers suddenly ordered them out of their vehicles with their hands raised. Barricades were reportedly put up at the gate, and sirens were sounded.
The two military members, one enlisted and one a junior officer assigned to the base, were handcuffed and placed in base vehicles. The civilian reporters were ordered to sit on a curb. They were held for over 30 minutes, causing them to miss the scheduled event. All individuals were eventually released without further incident.
A spokesperson for Space Launch Delta 30 issued a statement Wednesday, acknowledging the incident and stating that base protocols will be reviewed. "Vandenberg takes both installation security and our responsibility to invited media seriously," the statement read. "The journalists involved were accessing the installation at our invitation, and the installation commander has ordered a full review of the media coordination processes."
Tom Bolton, editor in chief of Noozhawk, expressed concern about the event, stating, "We respect the military’s need to provide security for the base. But clearly what occurred was unfortunate and unnecessary, and potentially dangerous, as firearms were drawn." Bolton indicated a desire to discuss the incident with base leadership to prevent future occurrences.