Vandenberg security draws guns on invited media, military; base blames miscommunication

A miscommunication between military personnel at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California led to an incident on Monday in which journalists and public affairs officers were detained at gunpoint by military security guards.

Five news reporters who had come to cover an event were in a convoy of personal cars, television news vehicles and a van driven by base public affairs officers.

Vandenberg Space Force’s public affairs office, Space Launch Delta 30, said a miscommunication that the vehicles might be unauthorized “gate runners” trying to gain entry to the secure installation led to the incident.

“A coordination gap resulted in a media convoy proceeding before the credentialing process was fully completed,” a spokesperson for Delta 30 said in a statement. “Obviously we take installation security and our responsibility to invited media very seriously. The journalists involved were accessing the installation at our invitation, and the installation commander has ordered a full review of the media coordination processes.”

The base command had invited reporters to cover the “golden shovel” groundbreaking of a 160,000-square foot Air Education and Training Command facility for operators of the future LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM system. Vandenberg is the main testing base for the land-based portion of the nuclear triad as well as key communications satellite launches.

The journalists included reporters or crew from television stations KEYT and KSBY, the Santa Maria Times/Lompoc Record newspaper and online Central California Coast news site Noozhawk.

Metal security gates were raised to block vehicles, while two uniformed base personnel were handcuffed and put in the back of a government vehicle, according to Noozhawk. The reporters were told to sit on a curb next to a van.

The incident lasted about 30 minutes, according to the journalists involved. All were released with no further action. In the meantime, the event they were invited to cover took place without them.

“Vandenberg Space Force Base is experiencing an increased number of unauthorized entry attempts,” the base said in a statement. “Every potential unauthorized presence must be treated as a legitimate threat until proven otherwise. While we recognize this may have been unsettling, the security of the base and its personnel is our priority.”

Noozhawk reported that the reporters were surprised that covering the high-profile event turned into an incident.

“As is common practice, the media members — including two Noozhawk journalists — followed the public affairs staff vehicle, which had pulled over to wait for all members to get through the main gate before the convoy intended to proceed to the destination,” Noozhawk reported on its website.

“Apparently, at least one security forces member raised an alert about ‘gate runners,’ prompting multiple members of the 30th Security Forces Squadron to converge after raising metal barricades to block the route along California Boulevard,” Noozhawk reported. “One by one, with firearms pointed at the group, base police ordered each vehicle to pull forward. Police then demanded that the drivers and passengers exit individually with hands raised.”

“The two military members — one enlisted and one a junior officer — were handcuffed and placed in the base vehicles, while the civilians were told to sit on the curb nearby,” Noozhawk reported.

Officers pointed guns, sirens were sounded, and barricades went up at the gate entrance, KEYT reported.

“We respect the military’s need to provide security for the base,” Noozhawk editor-in-chief Tom Bolton said in a statement. “But clearly what occurred was unfortunate and unnecessary, and potentially dangerous, as firearms were drawn.”

Bolton said he hopes to speak with base leadership later this week to review what happened and prevent a similar incident in the future.