On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled a mandatory annual screening program that will assess testosterone levels in all service members aged 30 and older, regardless of gender.
Those who are found to have low、それ testosterone may opt for hormone therapy as part of their own medical care.
“The most decisive tactical advantage remains the individual warfighter,” Hegseth said in a video from the Pentagon. “It is our sacred duty to preserve that advantage.”
In a social‑media message that accompanied the video, Hegseth characterized the effort as part of building a “High‑Testosterone Department of War,” his preferred nickname for the Defense Department.
The focus on hormone levels comes at a time when U.S. forces are intensifying operations in the Middle East—a departure from the typical strategic priorities of a defense secretary.
Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer and Iraq war veteran, has often taken an active interest in the day‑to‑day aspects of service members’ lives. His recent directive to tighten grooming standards for soldiers with certain skin conditions, who previously could grow beards, illustrates this hands‑on approach.
Troops under 30 may volunteer for screening, and any individual who exhibits low hormone levels can choose testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). “It’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capability,” Hegseth said.
The primary objective is to better prepare service members for a battlefield that Hegseth has described as “brutal and unrelenting.”
Low testosteroneTONER in men can lead to muscle loss, fatigue, obesity, sexual dysfunction, and is associated with other health concerns such as diabetes, osteoporosis, and depression.
Military life factors such as chronic stress, sleep deprivation, and head injuries also contribute to lowered hormone levels. Recent research has identified “operator syndrome,” wherein soldiers in long‑duration special‑operations roles report higher rates of medical issues, including reduced testosterone.
Hormone therapy carries medical risks, notably infertility due to decreased sperm production, an increased risk of blood clots, as well as common side effects such as acne and hair loss.
Plagued by stigma, many service members have avoided screening for low testosterone, or have sought hormone therapy from direct‑to‑consumer or illicit channels, said Dr. Theodore Crisostomo‑Wynne, a urologist at the Madigan Army Medical Center, during an FDA panel in December.
“Some service members work their entire careers to obtain highly sought‑after special duty statuses,” Dr. Crisostomo‑Wynne explained. “They fear that a diagnosis and subsequent treatment for low testosterone could jeopardize those statuses.”
While women also produce testosterone, men’s production exceeds theirs by a factor of 10–20. Currently, no FDA‑approved testosterone therapy exists specifically for women.
Although TRT has legitimate medical indications, the hormone’s popularity as a performance‑enhancing drug has surged in the United States, growing from fewer than 1 million prescriptions in 2000 to almost 12 million in 2025.
Historically, low testosterone has predominantly affected older men. In recent years, however, TRT use has accelerated among younger men, many of whom do not meet clinical criteria for low levels. Public figures such as Joe Rogan, Andrew Huberman, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have openly discussed their personal use of the hormone.
Hegseth’s public policy initiatives reflect a broader cultural trend that the defense secretary promotes. He has marched with troops in fitness clinics, leads high‑profile stances on transgender service eligibility, and recently revised vaccine mandates for flu protection—increasing and then reversing requirements for annual influenza shots.
The executive order issued last year by Presidentиболее , and its current partial judicial review, prohibits transgender individuals from serving in the armed forces; it cites concerns that transgender staff might not receive hormone therapy during smoothly operations.
The Department does not clarify why providing generic hormone therapy poses a problem for transgender service members yet not for male personnel, although the order references “radical gender ideology” as detrimental to unit cohesion.
“Mr. Hegseth’s recommendation that male service members obtain testosterone underscores the double standard implicit in the transgender ban,” said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for LGBTQ Rights. “It reveals a bias that undermines the ban’s stated goals.”
The decision aligns with a recent effort by former Health Secretary Kennedy to expand access to TRT for American men. Research worldwide indicates that testosterone levels—though they decline gradually with age—are lower on average for younger generations than in the past. Kennedy has described this decline as an “existential threat” to national vitality, while some scholars attribute it to rising obesity and sedentarism among U.S. youth.
