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PoliticsPentagon launches annual testosterone screening program for troops aged 30 and older
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The Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, announced a new program to annually screen service members aged 30 and older for testosterone deficiency, with optional testing for those under 30. Hegseth stated the initiative aims to ensure troops maintain the 'biological foundation' required for combat, linking it to both physical and mental readiness. The decision to undergo testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) remains voluntary. The announcement comes amid other controversial policy shifts under Hegseth, including a ban on transgender troops and a move toward gender-neutral physical fitness standards for combat roles. The Pentagon declined to clarify whether the program would also apply to female service members seeking to raise testosterone levels to male norms.
Source report
The Pentagon will begin annually screening service members for testosterone deficiency, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday, citing the need to ensure troops maintain the "biological foundation" to fight.
Key Details of the Program
- Age-based testing: Service members aged 30 and older will be tested yearly for testosterone deficiency as part of routine health assessments.
- Optional testing: Troops under 30 will have the option to be tested.
- Treatment choice: The decision to receive testosterone replacement therapy — if recommended by a medical professional — will remain up to the individual service member.
Secretary Hegseth's Statement
"It's about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight," Hegseth said in a video posted to X.
The video did not specify if the testing and treatment would be gender-specific and appeared to connect the directive to mental wellness.
"As we know, the modern battlefield is brutal and unrelenting," he said. "It requires and demands maximum psychological and mental readiness. And by addressing these health markers early, we're keeping you on the leading edge of lethality and giving you the same level of support that you give this nation — the absolute best."
Policy Context
The requirement marks the latest policy shift under Hegseth, whose tenure at the Pentagon has included a ban on transgender troops.
"Expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for Military Service," a 2025 memo signed by the defense secretary reads.
Hegseth also directed the military to develop gender-neutral physical fitness standards for troops in ground-combat roles.
"At my direction, each service will ensure that every requirement for every combat MOS [military occupational specialty], for every designated combat arms position, returns to the highest male standard only," he said in an address in Virginia last year.
Questions Remain
Military Times asked the Pentagon whether the Department of Defense will also give female service members annual hormone screenings and access to testosterone replacement therapy to raise levels to those of a typical male service member, if desired.
The Pentagon declined to provide additional details beyond Hegseth's announcement.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.
Source
Air Force TimesWestern
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Pentagon Mandates Annual Testosterone Screenings for Troops Over 30