Invited media, military members held at gunpoint by Space Force security

Five journalists and the two military members escorting them to an event at Vandenberg Space Force Base , Calif., this week were briefly detained at gunpoint by security police who believed they were gate crashers, according to the local media affected.

The Monday incident happened ahead of an invitation-only groundbreaking for a new training facility for missile operators. Reporters for KEYT, Noozhawk, KSBY and the Santa Maria Times were let onto the base and began to follow a military escort vehicle — a government minivan with uniformed public affairs staff — but were quickly stopped and ordered out of their vehicles at gunpoint with their hands up, KEYT reported .

The incident occurred due to at least one security force member raising an alert of “gate runners,” prompting the reporters’ temporary detainment and metal barricades to be raised, according to Noozhawk .

The journalists were told to sit on the curb nearby while the two military member escorts were handcuffed and placed in base vehicles, according to the outlet.

The incident lasted more than 30 minutes, causing the media members to miss the ceremony they were invited to cover. All reporters were let go without further action.

Space Launch Delta 30 ‘s public affairs office labeled the incident as a “breakdown in communication.”

“Vandenberg Space Force Base is experiencing an increased number of unauthorized entry attempts,” according to a statement to the local outlets. “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,” they added.

Tom Bolton, Noozhawk’s editor-in-chief, said Wednesday that while his organization respects the military’s need to provide security for the base, “clearly what occurred was unfortunate and unnecessary, and potentially dangerous, as firearms were drawn.”

He added that it “appears some members of the Vandenberg security team are seriously in need of additional training,” and called the incident “a failure on multiple levels, and the base owes apologies to the affected journalists. The military’s response certainly was lacking.”