{"id":7312,"date":"2026-08-20T16:40:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7312"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:40:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:40:18","slug":"invited-media-and-military-members-held-at-gunpoint-at-space-force-base-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7312","title":{"rendered":"Invited media and military members held at gunpoint at Space Force base in California"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE \u2014 Five news reporters and two members of the military who were invited to an event at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California were briefly detained at gunpoint by security officers who thought they were gate crashers, according to local news reports.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7310\">In California\u2019s farthest corner, visitors can collect stunning obsidian for free<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The incident happened Monday ahead of an invitation-only groundbreaking for a new training facility for missile operators at the federal airfield near Santa Barbara, California. Reporters from Noozhawk and KEYT were among those detained, and both outlets published articles detailing the detainment.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement Wednesday, a Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs spokesperson said base protocols will be reviewed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVandenberg takes both installation security and our responsibility to invited media 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,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n<p>The reporters and military members were part of a convoy being escorted onto the base by uniformed public affairs staff in a government minivan when they were suddenly ordered out of their vehicles with their hands up, according to news reports.<\/p>\n<p>Officers pointed guns, sirens were sounded, and barricades went up at the gate entrance, KEYT reported.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7308\">Five stabbed at Placer County casino, one arrested<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The two military members assigned to the base \u2014 one enlisted and one a junior officer \u2014 were handcuffed and placed in base vehicles, while the civilians were ordered to sit on a curb, Noozhawk reported.<\/p>\n<p>The reporters for outlets also including KSBY-TV and the Santa Maria Times\/Lompoc Record were held for more than 30 minutes, causing them to miss the event. All were let go without further incident.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe respect the military\u2019s need to provide security for the base,\u201d Tom Bolton, Noozhawk\u2019s editor in chief, said in a statement Wednesday. \u201cBut clearly what occurred was unfortunate and unnecessary, and potentially dangerous, as firearms were drawn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bolton said he hopes to have a conversation with base leadership later this week to review what happened in the hopes of preventing a similar occurrence in the future.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7306\">California city council member\u2019s work as FBI informant is revealed during corruption trial<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>5 reporters and 2 members of the military who were invited to an event at Vandenberg Space Force Base  were detained at gunpoint by security officers who thought they were gate crashers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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