• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized a new screening program for testosterone deficiency for all active-duty service members aged 30 and older.
  • Service members under 30 can volunteer for the annual screening, which will be conducted during health assessments.
  • Hegseth said the program is intended to ensure troops have the “right testosterone levels” to operate at their “absolute best” on the modern battlefield.
  • Treatment, including testosterone replacement therapy, is voluntary and aimed at restoring natural capabilities, Hegseth said.
  • Hegseth did not specify the testosterone levels that would necessitate treatment or whether separate standards would apply to women.

Hegseth leaves open treatment thresholds, women’s standards

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the Pentagon will begin screening service members 30 and older for testosterone deficiency, describing the program as necessary to keep troops at peak physical and mental readiness for what he called a “brutal and unrelenting” modern battlefield.

In a video posted to X with the caption “The High-T Department of War,” Hegseth said he is authorizing the new screening program for what he termed “testosterone deficiency.” Service members aged 30 and older will be tested annually as part of their health assessments, he said. Those under 30 can opt in voluntarily.

“If treatment is recommended, soldiers can decide if they want to receive testosterone replacement therapy,” Hegseth said. The treatment is voluntary, and Hegseth said it is aimed at “restoring and optimizing” natural capabilities.

Hegseth said the program is intended to ensure troops have the “right testosterone levels” to operate at their “absolute best.” He described the initiative as part of the department’s commitment to providing “elite medical care” and maintaining the physical and mental readiness required for modern combat.

The announcement left several specifics unanswered. Hegseth did not say which testosterone levels would necessitate treatment, according to a Wall Street Journal report. He also did not specify whether separate standards would apply to women. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Both men and women produce testosterone, a hormone that helps men grow hair, height and muscle and helps support female energy levels and bone strength, according to the Cleveland Clinic. When testosterone levels drop with age, it can lower muscle mass and sexual function, particularly in men.

The screening program is the latest in a series of moves by Hegseth to reshape military health and appearance policies. Earlier this week, Hegseth told commanders to enforce appearance standards barring beards and long hair, describing the policy as a move against “superficial individual expression.” He has also ended the military’s flu vaccine mandate and allowed troops to carry personal firearms on bases.

Hegseth is not the first Trump administration official to address the topic of low testosterone. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 72, has spoken about injecting testosterone as part of his personal “anti-aging regimen.” In October, Kennedy warned, without evidence, that today’s American teenagers have “50% of the testosterone of a 65-year-old man.”

According to research published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, young men are being aggressively targeted online by influencers and wellness companies promoting hormone tests and treatments as essential to being a “real man,” despite screening for low testosterone being medically unwarranted in most people in this age group, the study found.