VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – NAS Oceana announced Tuesday evening that the Dam Neck Annex Main Gate (POST 16) is closed due to security operations.

Beth Baker, a U.S. Navy public affairs officer, said at 3:45 p.m., a civilian found what they believed to be an explosive ordnance and brought it to the NAS Oceana main gate because they wanted to get rid of it properly.

Baker said the protocol is to close the gate and base while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams comes out to safely remove it.

As of 6 p.m., it was not confirmed whether the item was actually an explosive device.

A tweet from NAS Oceana advised personnel to stay away from the area and to report any suspicious activity to 757-433-9111.

Personnel who need to enter or exit the Dam Neck Annex must use the southern most Sandbridge Gate (POST 17) until the security operation is cleared.

Chopper 10 flew near the gate to see what was going on and saw at least one police car near the gate, although it wasn’t a large law enforcement presence.

This is breaking news. Stay with WAVY News 10 for updates.