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Get out of the way or dieMonday 17 Mar 2003
author: USAF
Anti-War Protesters Beware
By Associated Press
Associated Press | March 17, 2003
Security forces at Vandenberg Air Force Base may use ``deadly force'' against protesters if they infiltrate the military complex if a war starts, officials said.
Some anti-war activists plan to trespass onto base grounds in hopes of disturbing Vandenberg's mission and to vandalize sensitive equipment they contend helps guide the war effort.
Vandenberg officials revealed Friday that military security police may shoot to kill, if necessary, to protect base residents and machinery.
The directive has always been in existence, but a base spokeswoman said it is more critical now that people understand its severity.
``This is not fun and games anymore,'' said Maj. Stacee Bako. ``We're living in post 9/11. We don't know what's going to happen with the war effort in Iraq. These folks have got to realize their actions. ... They're illegal intruders.''
Military police will use their ``judgment, experience and training'' to determine if lethal force is necessary, she said.
``Deadly force can be used when lesser means of force aren't feasible or have failed, and to protect (Department of Defense) assets designated as vital to the national security,'' she explained.
The deadly force policy will not deter protesters, said Peter Lumsdaine of the Vandenberg Action Coalition, one of the organizers of the planned trespassing.
``I think it does underline that people in the nonviolent resistance movement are willing to take some risks,'' Lumsdaine said.
A Guadalupe man jumped onto the base's entrance sign Friday and sprayed it with 4 ounces of his own blood in a symbolic gesture of his anti-war stance. Dennis Apel, 52, later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of trespassing and vandalism. He will be sentenced next month in a Santa Barbara federal court and faces a possible jail sentence or fine.
``We wanted them to see some blood,'' said Apel, a member of Guadalupe Catholic Worker, a social reform movement. ``We wanted them to in some way visually experience the consequences of what they're doing.''
Vandenberg has been on heightened alert since the 2001 terrorist attacks, with barricades near sensitive equipment and tighter access to the classified installation.
Bako said the security measures, including the deadly force decree, are necessary because of the threat of biological weapons.
``It's impossible for us to determine what their intent is,'' she said. ``Are they protesters? Are there terrorists in that group and (do) they plan on killing everyone on base? They all have to be dealt with as very specific threats, whether they're vandalizing a sign, crossing the green (no trespassing) line or infiltrating the backcountry.''