Former Army JAG and Senior Defense Counsel 25+ years defending service members Courts-martial defense worldwide
Reviewed by Michael Waddington, Founding Partner Updated October 8, 2026
OSI investigates Air Force personnel at Holloman, Cannon, and Kirtland AFBs in New Mexico, and Gonzalez & Waddington defends them in courts-martial, administrative separation boards, Article 15 proceedings, and security clearance actions.
Attorneys Michael Waddington and Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington provide hard-hitting court-martial defense for airmen and officers stationed at New Mexico’s three Air Force installations. The firm travels to Holloman, Cannon, and Kirtland and handles cases worldwide. OSI investigations here commonly involve special operations aviation, nuclear weapons programs, RPA and F-16 aircrew training, and off-base conduct in Clovis, Alamogordo, and Albuquerque.
Cases at these installations cover Article 120 sexual assault allegations, drug and urinalysis offenses, false official statements, orders violations, financial misconduct, and government computer misuse. Because missions at Holloman, Cannon, and Kirtland involve classified programs, nuclear systems, and special operations work, even a minor allegation can trigger clearance suspension, duty removal, or separation processing.
Contact Gonzalez & Waddington at 1-800-921-8607 for a free, confidential consultation.
If you are searching for a New Mexico military defense lawyer or a court-martial attorney in New Mexico, you are likely facing a serious military justice issue. New Mexico hosts critical Air Force, Army, special operations, nuclear, aviation, testing, research, missile, and range missions. Service members assigned to New Mexico installations remain subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Once allegations arise, military investigations can escalate quickly from command inquiry to Article 15, administrative separation, Article 32 preliminary hearing, or court-martial.
Gonzalez & Waddington represents service members stationed throughout New Mexico and worldwide who face felony-level military charges, command investigations, Article 15/NJP actions, letters of reprimand, administrative separation boards, Boards of Inquiry, security clearance matters, and contested courts-martial. The firm focuses exclusively on military criminal defense and serious UCMJ litigation.
New Mexico cases are not generic military cases. They may involve nuclear enterprise records, special operations aviation, classified or sensitive programs, aircraft maintenance, missile testing, range safety, cyber evidence, Albuquerque police reports, Clovis and Portales off-base incidents, Alamogordo and Las Cruces civilian witnesses, desert training evidence, phone extractions, gate logs, travel records, and security clearance concerns.
New Mexico service members may operate in high-trust and high-risk environments, including:
Because many New Mexico missions involve sensitive technology, nuclear systems, special operations, classified work, or high-value testing, even an allegation that appears minor can create serious career consequences. A service member may face loss of access, clearance suspension, removal from duties, adverse paperwork, separation processing, or court-martial.
Service members stationed in New Mexico may face serious allegations involving:
Kirtland Air Force Base is a major national security installation in Albuquerque. It is closely connected to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, research and development, advanced technology, acquisition, logistics, nuclear command and control, weapons sustainment, and sensitive military programs.
Kirtland cases may involve:
A Kirtland case may involve classified information, access logs, government computer systems, contracting records, travel documents, phone data, digital evidence, base security records, Albuquerque police reports, or security clearance files. Defense strategy must address both the UCMJ allegation and the career risk to access, clearance, and future assignments.
Cannon Air Force Base is tied to Air Force Special Operations Command and the 27th Special Operations Wing. Service members at Cannon may operate in high-tempo special operations aviation, intelligence, maintenance, security, logistics, medical, and mission support environments.
Cannon cases may involve:
Cannon investigations often move quickly because command concerns may involve deployability, special operations trust, operational reliability, security clearance eligibility, and mission readiness. A case may start as a local police report, dormitory allegation, relationship dispute, phone-message issue, DUI stop, or command inquiry. It can become an OSI investigation or court-martial risk before the accused fully understands the danger.
Holloman Air Force Base is located near Alamogordo and supports major Air Force operations, training, test, mission support, and tenant activities. Cases at Holloman may involve aviation operations, maintenance, students, instructors, Security Forces, cyber personnel, medical personnel, contractors, and personnel connected to technical or operational missions.
Holloman cases may involve:
Because Holloman is in a smaller community, witness relationships and command reputation issues can become important. A weak allegation can still spread quickly through a unit. The defense must separate rumor from evidence.
White Sands Missile Range is a massive U.S. Army testing and research installation in southern New Mexico. It supports missile, rocket, weapons, sensor, and defense technology testing. White Sands is also closely tied to Las Cruces, Doña Ana County, Alamogordo, and El Paso.
White Sands cases may involve:
Because White Sands supports technical testing, cases may turn on whether an issue is criminal, administrative, technical, or based on incomplete records. The defense must examine test documentation, range safety rules, access logs, email records, witness competence, and whether command assumptions are supported by evidence.
Many New Mexico UCMJ cases begin off base. A service member may live in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Clovis, Portales, Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Roswell, Santa Fe, Hobbs, or rural New Mexico. Off-duty incidents can quickly become military cases.
Local New Mexico evidence may include:
The defense must move quickly. Video may be overwritten. Civilian witnesses may disappear. TDY personnel may leave the state. Command assumptions may harden before the complete record is reviewed.
The following examples are fictional. They are not claims about any actual case, person, command, business, hotel, unit, or witness. They illustrate common New Mexico military fact patterns.
Article 120 cases in New Mexico may involve hotels, dorms, apartments, TDY lodging, off-base parties, bars, dating apps, social media, delayed reports, alcohol, phone extractions, surveillance footage, and civilian witnesses. These cases often turn on consent, credibility, intoxication, timing, motive, digital context, and witness contamination.
Domestic violence and assault cases may involve Albuquerque, Clovis, Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Portales, or rural county police records. Evidence may include 911 calls, body-camera footage, photographs, medical records, protective orders, Family Advocacy records, text messages, no-contact orders, and firearms restrictions.
Drug and alcohol cases may involve positive urinalysis results, prescription medications, marijuana exposure issues, DUI arrests, alcohol-related disorderly conduct, and command-directed inquiries. New Mexico civilian marijuana laws do not protect service members from UCMJ drug allegations.
Fraud and financial cases may involve DTS vouchers, government travel cards, BAH, lodging, rental cars, procurement records, equipment accountability, and contracting documents. The defense must separate intentional misconduct from administrative error, poor documentation, or unclear guidance.
New Mexico has many military assignments involving sensitive programs, nuclear missions, special operations, testing, intelligence, cyber systems, and classified information. Allegations involving foreign contacts, unauthorized disclosures, government systems, financial problems, or mishandling information may threaten both UCMJ exposure and clearance eligibility.
New Mexico military cases may involve aircraft operations, maintenance records, range safety, missile testing, weapons handling, mission planning, and technical documentation. These cases require careful review of orders, logs, technical guidance, test records, and witness competence.
A New Mexico military investigation may begin with:
Investigators may collect phones, interview witnesses, obtain civilian records, request surveillance footage, review access logs, and develop a theory before the service member understands the risk.
Early defense action is critical because many key records are time-sensitive.
Early defense work can help preserve:
Waiting can be dangerous. Videos may be overwritten. TDY witnesses may leave. Exercise participants may return to home station. Civilian witnesses may disappear. Command assumptions may become difficult to reverse.
Gonzalez & Waddington, LLC is a civilian military defense law firm representing service members worldwide. The firm is led by Michael Waddington and Alexandra González-Waddington, a husband-and-wife defense team focused on military criminal defense, court-martial litigation, UCMJ investigations, administrative separation boards, Boards of Inquiry, GOMOR and letter of reprimand rebuttals, Article 15/NJP matters, sexual assault defense, violent offense defense, fraud cases, cyber and digital-evidence cases, and other high-stakes military legal matters.
Michael Waddington is a former Army officer and former Army JAG. He served as an Army Trial Defense Counsel, Senior Defense Counsel, Army prosecutor, Special Assistant United States Attorney, and Chief of Military Justice. He has more than 25 years of military defense experience. He is licensed in Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and South Carolina. He is admitted to all U.S. military trial courts worldwide.
Alexandra González-Waddington is a founding partner, former public defender, and experienced military defense lawyer licensed in Florida and Georgia. She is admitted to all U.S. military trial courts worldwide. She has defended service members in sexual assault, violent crime, war crimes, murder, classified-information, domestic violence, and white-collar cases. She co-tries the firm’s cases with Michael Waddington and is bilingual in English and Spanish.
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Facing a military investigation, UCMJ allegation, or serious criminal charge? Gonzalez & Waddington provides trial-focused defense for high-stakes cases. Call 1-800-921-8607 or text 954-799-4019 for a confidential, no-cost consultation.
