Pete Hegseth says soldiers over age 30 to be screened for testosterone deficiency

US defense secretary unveils plan that will work to ensure service members have the ‘right testosterone levels’

Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the Department of Defense will offer testosterone deficiency screening for soldiers 30 and older.

The US defense secretary unveiled plans for a new screening program for testosterone deficiency among troops that will work to ensure service members have the “right testosterone levels” to perform at their optimal condition in a video posted to X.

“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,” Hegseth said in the video.

“As we know, the modern battlefield is brutal and unrelenting,” he added. “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.”

“Warfighters” aged 30 and above will undergo annual tests as part of their health assessments, while those under 30 can choose to opt in, Hegseth said. Treatment, including testosterone replacement therapy, is voluntary and aimed at “restoring and optimizing” natural capabilities.

The initiative will prioritize long-term health, aimed at making sure troops remain “strong and resilient” for their entire lives. Hegseth also said that this program is part of the department’s commitment to providing “elite medical care” and maintaining the physical and mental readiness required for modern combat.

Hegseth is not the first member of the Trump administration to address the so-called “crisis” of low testosterone, or “ low T ”. Robert F Kennedy Jr, the 72-year-old health secretary, has spoken about injecting testosterone as part of his personal “anti-ageing regimen”. In October, he warned, without evidence, that today’s American teenagers have “50% of the testosterone of a 65-year-old man”. Testosterone, and concerns about a shortage thereof, has become a political fixation on the right. Alternative media commentators such as Tucker Carlson have decried a crisis of masculinity in films such as The End of Men, while influencers promote “T-maxxing” and direct-to-consumer testosterone injections.

In a statement, the American Urological Association said it “appreciates the Administration’s understanding of the importance of screening men for testosterone deficiency”, although “the diagnosis of testosterone deficiency should not be based on a single blood test alone.”

Rather, the association said such a test could serve as a “baseline value” for individuals “who warrant further evaluation”. The association also cautioned that a diagnosis of low-testosterone should not be made on one test alone, but rather based on symptoms and two separate tests. The Trump administration has decried the use of hormones in gender affirming care, including both testosterone and estrogen, as “ chemical and surgical mutilation ”. Hegseth’s announcement did not address the more than 231,000 women who serve as active duty service members in the US military.

According to research published in the journal Social Science & 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.