Vandenberg ICBM Test Launch Protest / Celebration of Life

The U.S. military is once again preparing to test an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base between 11:01 p.m. on Feb. 18 and 5:01 a.m. on Feb. 19. This dangerous and wasteful test is a stark reminder of the ever-present nuclear threat looming over our world.

This test is being framed as “routine,” but there is nothing routine about nuclear weapons. Each launch sends a message of war, destruction, and global instability. While world leaders claim these tests are about deterrence, we know they only fuel a cycle of militarization and violence. 

Join the Defuse Nuclear War Coalition and others to show up and speak out against this reckless display of power!

Where: Outside Vandenberg Space Force Base, Lompoc, CA
When: Evening of Feb. 18 at 10:45pm PST

Protesters will gather at 10:45 pm Tuesday February 18th in the parking lot of Vandenberg Middle School. This location is listed on the Vandenberg Space Force Base protest advisory as the place that protesters are permitted to park. The address is 1145 Mountain View Blvd, Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) CA 93937.

Bring your banners, voices, and unwavering commitment to peace. Let’s make it clear that we reject nuclear weapons and the dangerous policies that sustain them.

The action will also be a celebration of life, honoring the late Friar Louis Vitale, David Krieger, and Daniel Ellsberg, who all passed away in 2023, and who were all three vital activists in the movement against nuclear weapons. All three were arrested in February of 2012 at Vandenberg protesting ICBMs.