The Vandenberg space force base near Santa Barbara, CaliforniaFive reporters and two military personnel invited to an event at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California were briefly detained at gunpoint after security officers mistook them for people attempting to enter the base without authorisation.According to The Guardian, the incident took place on Monday ahead of an invitation-only groundbreaking ceremony for a new training facility for missile operators at the federal airfield near Santa Barbara. Reporters from Noozhawk and KEYT were among those detained, with both outlets later reporting details of the incident.The group was travelling in a government minivan as part of a convoy escorted by uniformed public affairs personnel when security officers suddenly ordered them out of their vehicles with their hands raised. Guns were drawn, sirens sounded and barricades were placed at the entrance, KEYT reported.The two military personnel assigned to the base, an enlisted member and a junior officer, were handcuffed and placed in military vehicles. The civilian reporters were ordered to sit on a curb, according to Noozhawk.Reporters from KSBY-TV and the Santa Maria Times/Lompoc Record were also among those detained. The group was held for more than 30 minutes and missed the scheduled event before being released without further incident.A Space Launch Delta 30 public affairs spokesperson described the episode as a breakdown in communication, while stressing that the base had recently experienced an increase in attempted unauthorised entries.“Every potential unauthorized presence must be treated as a legitimate threat until proven otherwise,” the spokesperson told Noozhawk, adding that the security of the base and its personnel remained the priority.Tom Bolton, editor in chief of Noozhawk, said the outlet respected the military's security requirements but described the incident as unfortunate and unnecessary, particularly because firearms were drawn.Bolton said he hoped to meet base leadership to review the incident and discuss measures to prevent a similar situation from occurring again.