Pete Hegseth announced a new Hegseth Testosterone Screening program on Wednesday, saying the Department of Defense will offer testosterone deficiency screening for service members 30 and older. In a video posted to X, he said the policy is meant to ensure troops have the right testosterone levels to operate at their absolute best.
Warfighters aged 30 and above will undergo annual tests as part of their health assessments. Service members under 30 can opt in to the screening, and treatment, including testosterone replacement therapy, is voluntary.
Pete Hegseth on X
Hegseth said the program is part of the department’s commitment to providing elite medical care and to keeping service members physically and mentally ready for modern combat. He said the treatment goal is “restoring and optimizing” natural capabilities and described the long-term aim as keeping troops “strong and resilient.”
“I’m authorizing a new screening program for testosterone deficiency for our service members, ensuring you have the right testosterone levels to operate at your absolute best,” he said. He also said, “As we know, the modern battlefield is brutal and unrelenting,” and added that addressing health markers early would keep troops “on the leading edge of lethality.”
American Urological Association
The American Urological Association said it “appreciates the Administration’s understanding of the importance of screening men for testosterone deficiency.” It also said “the diagnosis of testosterone deficiency should not be based on a single blood test alone,” and said a diagnosis should be based on symptoms and two separate tests. That leaves the screening policy tied to a first pass, while diagnosis still depends on a fuller medical review.
The announcement did not address the more than 231,000 women who serve as active duty service members in the US military. The department now has a screening program for men 30 and older and an opt-in path for those under 30, but the next practical question is how many service members will test positive once annual testing begins.
In October
Robert F Kennedy Jr added to the wider discussion in October when he warned, without evidence, that today’s American teenagers have “50% of the testosterone of a 65-year-old man.” The new Department of Defense policy arrives against that backdrop, with testosterone now moving from wellness rhetoric into routine military medical care for a defined age group.
