Vandenberg Space Force security forces held invited journalists, troops at gunpoint despite escort

On August 17, 2026, at least five journalists -- from News Channel 3-12/KEYT, Noozhawk, KSBY and the Santa Maria Times/Lompoc Record -- and two military members were ordered out of their vehicles at gunpoint by Vandenberg Space Force Base's 30th Security Forces Squadron while arriving for a scheduled 1:30 p.m. "golden shovel" groundbreaking ceremony for a new Sentinel missile-operator training facility. The group had a public-affairs escort vehicle and had been invited to the event; base personnel nonetheless raised metal barricades along California Boulevard, activated sirens, and ordered each vehicle's occupants out individually with hands raised after at least one security-forces member reported "gate runners." The two military members were handcuffed and placed in base vehicles; the journalists were told to sit on a nearby curb. The stop lasted more than 30 minutes, and the group missed the ceremony it had been invited to cover.

A Space Launch Delta 30 public-affairs spokesperson said in a statement that the base is "experiencing an increased number of unauthorized entry attempts," that "there was a breakdown in communication and movement continued prior to verification," and that "every potential unauthorized presence must be treated as a legitimate threat until proven otherwise." A base security-forces member apologized to at least one reporter after the group was released. Noozhawk editor-in-chief Tom Bolton said the incident reflected inadequate training, calling it "a failure on multiple levels" for which "the base owes apologies to the affected journalists."