To call Pogo's comment "innuendo" is to stretch the meaning of the word. I don't think there's much to read between the lines; it's the fact that the AF has instantly damaged the credibility or news value of anything anyone in blue has to say about the subject. Why bother to ask the AF for comment when the script is already in front of you?
As for the use of "propaganda" - it's not really a buzzword, is it? It says what it means and means what it says, as it did when the Vatican first used it. "Adaptive", "emerging" and "contested", not so much.
As I said, I don't think this piece meant to go after the various arguments, but there are a lot of strawmen in there, and not much we haven't heard and debated before. A lot of statements to which the response is "but that's not the point" or "Oh really, says who?" or "Compared to what?"