There are three Air Force bases in New Mexico: Kirtland in Albuquerque, Holloman near Alamogordo, and Cannon outside Clovis. Each one has a different mission, a different town and a very different housing allowance.
This guide explains what each base does, where it sits, and what BAH covers nearby. PCS stands for Permanent Change of Station, the military's term for an assigned move.
The Air Force Bases in New Mexico, at a Glance
| Base | Nearest city | Host unit | Main missions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirtland AFB | Albuquerque | 377th Air Base Wing | Nuclear weapons support, research labs, special operations aircrew training |
| Holloman AFB | Alamogordo | 49th Wing | F-16 pilot training and MQ-9 pilot and sensor operator training |
| Cannon AFB | Clovis | 27th Special Operations Wing | Air Force Special Operations Command flying missions |
New Mexico's three Air Force bases. Sources: Kirtland, Holloman and Cannon AFB fact sheets and About pages.
New Mexico also has White Sands Missile Range, which is Army. For every installation in the state, see our guide to what military bases are in New Mexico.
Kirtland Air Force Base
Kirtland sits on the southeast edge of Albuquerque and covers more than 50,000 acres, making it the Air Force's fifth-largest installation, per the Kirtland fact sheet. The host 377th Air Base Wing supports nine wings and more than 100 mission partners, and more than 23,000 people work on base.
Major tenants include the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, two Air Force Research Laboratory directorates and the 58th Special Operations Wing, which trains special operations and rescue aircrews. Sandia National Laboratories is a key partner on the base.
In plain terms, Kirtland is a research, nuclear and training hub inside a real city. Families get the most housing choice in the state here. See our Kirtland AFB PCS guide, and once you arrive, our list of family-friendly activities near Kirtland.
Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman sits in the Tularosa Basin west of Alamogordo, between the Sacramento Mountains and the San Andres Mountains. The host 49th Wing trains F-16 pilots and MQ-9 Reaper pilots and sensor operators, and the base supports more than 21,000 military and civilian personnel, per Holloman's About page. An MQ-9 Reaper is a remotely piloted aircraft.
Holloman also runs one of the most unusual test sites in the military. Its high speed test track is 50,788 feet long and can push rocket sleds to speeds approaching 10,000 feet per second, per the 846th Test Squadron fact sheet.
Next door is the Army's White Sands Missile Range, about 3,200 square miles of test range. Our Holloman AFB PCS guide covers housing and schools in Alamogordo.
Cannon Air Force Base
Cannon sits 8 miles west of Clovis on the eastern New Mexico plains, at 4,295 feet. It covers 3,789 acres and has carried the Cannon name since June 8, 1957, per the 27th Special Operations Wing.
The base moved to Air Force Special Operations Command, or AFSOC, on October 1, 2007, and the 27th Fighter Wing became the 27th Special Operations Wing. About 25 miles west, Melrose Air Force Range covers roughly 70,000 acres for air-to-ground and small arms training.
Cannon is small, tight-knit and affordable. Our Cannon AFB PCS guide covers Clovis, Portales and the smaller towns nearby.
What BAH Covers at New Mexico's Air Force Bases
BAH is Basic Allowance for Housing, the monthly amount the military pays you toward housing when you live off base. It is set by pay grade, dependent status and your duty station's rate area, not by the rent you actually pay.
Here are 2026 monthly rates for three common pay grades, with dependents first and without second, from the official DTMO BAH rate lookup run by the Defense Travel Management Office.
| Base | Rate area | E-5 | E-7 | O-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirtland AFB | Albuquerque/Kirtland AFB (NM206) | $2,211 / $1,689 | $2,352 / $2,001 | $2,397 / $2,280 |
| Holloman AFB | Holloman AFB/Alamogordo (NM205) | $1,590 / $1,197 | $1,890 / $1,425 | $1,905 / $1,764 |
| Cannon AFB | Cannon AFB/Clovis (NM207) | $1,365 / $1,107 | $1,695 / $1,272 | $1,875 / $1,506 |
