Former Air Force Special Operations Command Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Green has been charged with “possession, viewing, and producing child pornography,” the Air Force quietly announced this week.
The news offers an answer to a mystery that had puzzled the Air Force community since April, when Green was removed from his position as the top enlisted leader of AFSOC “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to fulfill his duties,” according to a press release put out at the time. The Air Force did not publicly elaborate on the reasons for his removal, leaving service members and observers to speculate.
The upcoming February 10, 2026, hearing follows a formal investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the service’s criminal investigative agency responsible for probing serious offenses. It will determine whether Green faces a general court-martial, and an Air Force spokesperson confirmed to The Intercept that Green has already been formally charged. According to a notice the Air Force quietly posted on its website Wednesday, without issuing a press release or issuing broader disclosures to the force, Green faces charges of “indecent recording” and “obstruction of justice” in addition to “possession, viewing, and producing child pornography.”
Cases involving senior military leaders are rare, and criminal allegations of this magnitude draw scrutiny of former leaders’ decisions, particularly in opaque military environments where Green directly led some of the Air Force’s most lethal warfighters.
As command chief of AFSOC, Green held one of the most powerful positions within one of the Air Force’s most sensitive major commands. He advised commanding officers on enlisted troop matters, including discipline and readiness within special operations units. AFSOC encompasses several major personnel wings across bases such as Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico; Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom; and Kadena Air Base, Japan.
Green’s position placed him at the top of the enlisted structure for the major command, giving him significant influence over special operations culture. According to the Air Force, the term “Air Commando” honors a lineage of Air Force units performing unconventional, combat-oriented operations, reflecting the elite mission and ethos over which Green had authority. In 2023, he became the 11th command chief of AFSOC, overseeing about 22,000 total force and civilian Air Commandos worldwide.
The Air Force spokesperson confirmed Green was still on active duty, working a desk job as a special assistant at the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. He could not be reached individually for comment.
The child sexual abuse material allegations against him violate multiple articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which govern legal conduct for military personnel, as well as several federal and state criminal statutes. The alleged offenses occurred at Hurlburt Field, Florida, home of Air Force special operations.
Green joined the Air Force in 1995 and spent much of his career in C-130 maintenance, a career field The Intercept previously covered for rampant hazing, troop abuses, and suicides. Interviews with former maintainers often cite inappropriate sexual conduct or conversation by senior leadership while on duty. His rise from the operational maintenance ranks to a top enlisted leadership role underscores the range of his authority and the reach of his influence over enlisted personnel in the Air Force.
While Green was under investigation, members of the Air Force were left in the dark about why he was removed, with some taking to Air Force social media pages to question whether the removal was a political move under the Trump administration, for which there is currently no evidence.
At the preliminary hearing, conducted under Article 32 of the UCMJ, a hearing officer will review evidence and evaluate witnesses, allowing the accused to be represented by counsel, and recommend whether the case should proceed. AFSOC said no further court documents or updates will be made public before the hearing.
