WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled a new program on Wednesday that would screen military service members for “testosterone deficiency,” saying the initiative is needed to help troops perform at their “absolute best.”
Under the new policy, troops aged 30 and older will undergo testosterone testing each year as part of their routine medical screenings. Service members younger than 30 will have the option to participate voluntarily. In a social media video announcing the program, Hegseth appeared to be referring specifically to male troops being tested for hormone irregularities, though he did not explicitly say so.
The announcement arrives as other officials within the Trump administration have been pushing for men to have greater access to testosterone replacement therapies. However, the messaging from Hegseth and others mixes established science about the hormone with broader claims that are not as well supported.
When reporters asked what specific medical conditions the new policy was intended to address, the Pentagon pointed back to Hegseth’s video remarks, in which he spoke about keeping troops “strong, resilient and capable” and said that modern battlefield demands require “maximum psychological and mental readiness.” The Pentagon declined to identify particular conditions or diseases the screening program is targeting.
In his video, Hegseth emphasized that any testosterone replacement therapy offered as a result of the screenings would be entirely voluntary. He also stated that the initiative is “not about artificial enhancement.”
The Pentagon did not respond to questions about what medical research or academic studies were used to support the policy. Officials also did not address whether female service members could be screened for declining estrogen levels as they enter perimenopause.
This new initiative comes against a backdrop of controversy involving testosterone use in elite military units. In recent years, special operations forces — and Navy SEALs in particular — have faced scrutiny over the use of testosterone and similar performance-enhancing substances.
The 2022 death of a SEAL recruit during training led investigators to discover substances in his possession, including testosterone, and exposed a far more widespread problem with drug use within that elite program than had previously been known. One year after that death, the Navy announced it would launch its own drug-testing program to screen for “any hormonal substance, chemically or pharmacologically related to testosterone, that promotes muscle growth.”
Hegseth’s move also coincides with broader efforts by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other administration officials to make testosterone therapies more accessible. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration proposed relaxing prescribing restrictions on testosterone gels, pills, patches, and injections.
Currently, FDA labeling limits those medications to men diagnosed with hypogonadism, a medical condition that causes severely low testosterone levels. However, many influencers and supporters of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement promote testosterone as a tool for looking younger, building muscle, and staying mentally sharp — uses that most mainstream medical experts do not endorse.
That said, recent studies have provided some support for testosterone’s benefits in treating certain conditions, and have helped ease longstanding concerns about its safety — particularly regarding the heart. Last year, the FDA removed a boxed warning from testosterone drugs that had cautioned about possible risks of heart attack and stroke.
A series of studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health on older men found that testosterone therapy improved erectile dysfunction, libido, and other sexual health measures, and had a modest effect on mood. However, researchers found little or no improvement in areas such as fatigue, memory, or overall sense of well-being. Other studies have pointed to potential gains in muscle development, strength, and bone density.
Despite these findings, current medical guidelines generally advise against routine, broad-based testosterone screening. Doctors are typically recommended to discuss testosterone therapy only with men who are experiencing troubling symptoms and who have documented low hormone levels confirmed by two separate blood tests.
Accurately measuring testosterone also presents practical challenges, since hormone levels naturally shift throughout the day. Medical professionals typically recommend testing in the morning after fasting for the most reliable results.
