Five California reporters held at gunpoint at Space Force base

Five reporters had weapons drawn on them and were held by security at the Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc, California, according to published reports, after they attempted to enter to cover an event on Aug. 17, 2026.

The journalists, invited to cover the groundbreaking of a new training center, included Jarrod Zinn of KEYT-TV, two unidentified reporters from the online outlet Noozhawk and unidentified reporters for the television station KSBY and the Santa Maria Times newspaper.

The group arrived at the base ahead of the event and lined their vehicles up in a convoy, accompanied by two uniformed officer escorts, according to KEYT-TV. Two of the press vehicles were identified by TV station decals, Noozhawk reported.

As they followed their escorts onto the base, sirens started sounding and metal barriers were put in place. Base security, with weapons raised, ordered the cars to pull over and ordered the reporters and military members to exit their vehicles with their hands in the air.

The reporters were instructed to sit on the curb for over half an hour, causing them to miss the event. The two uniformed officers were placed in handcuffs.

The base pointed to heightened security measures and miscommunication in defense of its treatment of the journalists, according to Stars and Stripes.

“Vandenberg Space Force Base is experiencing an increased number of unauthorized entry attempts,” according to a statement issued by a public affairs spokesperson for the base.

“When media entered the installation there was a breakdown in communication and movement continued prior to verification,” added the 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 Editor-in-Chief Tom Bolton said, “This was a failure on multiple levels, and the base owes apologies to the affected journalists. The military’s response certainly was lacking.”