Twitter users are attacking U.S. Strategic Command (Stratcom) for promoting a Breitbart News article on its official Twitter account.
StratCom’s tweet included a link to a Tuesday article from the right-wing news outlet titled, “Top General: ‘Nearly All Elements of Nuclear Triad outdated.’ ”
{mosads}The article — written by Kristina Wong, a former defense reporter for The Hill — centers on a warning from the commander of U.S. nuclear forces to modernize the nation’s arsenal.
“At a time when our adversaries have significantly modernized and continued to upgrade their nuclear forces, nearly all elements of the nuclear triad are operating beyond their designed service life,” Stratcom commander Gen. John Hyten told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.
Multiple Twitter users lashed out at Stratcom for linking to the Breitbart News article.
White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon served as executive chairman of Breitbart before becoming the chief executive of President Trump’s campaign last year.
Breitbart has faced criticism for its proximity to the alt-right movement, which detractors say at times promotes anti-Semitism, misogyny and racism.
Stratcom in a statement on Thursday defending its promotion of a Breitbart article.
“US Strategic Command uses social media and web tools to inform the public about its missions, people and activities,” it said.
“We routinely repurpose stories of interest via social media that contain factual and accurate information about the command and its missile sets,” Stratcom added.
“Our policy is that we do not endorse, nor discriminate against, any particular news organization.”
This report was updated at 10:57 a.m.