US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new testosterone screening program that he said will help troops perform “at their best”.
Military personnel under 30 will be able to voluntarily undergo testosterone testing, while military personnel over that age will be required to undergo a mandatory screening as part of their annual physical.
Mr. Hegseth said in a social media video that the program would also give military personnel the opportunity to undergo testosterone replacement therapy.
It is unclear whether he meant only testing male staff.
When asked what conditions the policy would apply to, the Pentagon referred to Mr. Hegseth’s remarks in the video about keeping troops “strong, resilient and combat-ready” and said the rigors of the modern battlefield required “maximum psychological and mental readiness.”
Over the past few years, special operations troops, particularly the Navy SEALs, have come under scrutiny for their use of testosterone and similar performance-enhancing substances.
The death of a SEAL recruit in 2022 revealed widespread testosterone among elite US soldiers. (Attached: Az Cosgrove)
The death of a SEAL recruit during training in 2022 led to the discovery of substances in him, including testosterone, and revealed much more rampant drug use among the elite program than previously thought.
A year after the recruit’s death, the Navy said it would begin a drug testing program to identify “any hormonal substances chemically or pharmacologically related to testosterone that promote muscle growth.”
Mr. Hegseth said his new initiative “is not about artificial improvement.”
The Pentagon did not respond to questions about what research or academic studies informed the move.
It also does not say whether military women will be able to be tested for estrogen therapy when they enter perimenopause.
Testosterone levels in men naturally decline as they age and have long been linked to problems such as erectile dysfunction, low libido, mood changes and weight gain.
But experts have debated for years about how to diagnose these problems and whether they should be treated with hormone replacement therapy.
Mr. Hegseth’s announcement comes as Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and other Trump administration officials move to make it easier for doctors to prescribe testosterone.
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration proposed lowering restrictions on prescribing testosterone gels, tablets, patches and injections.
Current FDA labeling indicates that these medications are only for men with hypogonadism, a condition that causes severely low testosterone levels.
But many influencers and supporters of Mr. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement tout testosterone as a way to look younger, build muscle and stay smart, even though such use is not accepted by most medical experts.
Recent studies have confirmed the benefits of testosterone for certain conditions while dispelling concerns about its safety, especially concerns about heart safety.
Last year, the FDA removed a warning about the possible risk of heart attack and stroke associated with these drugs.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat and Iraq War veteran, said the statement sounded “like gender concern,” a nod to Mr. Hegseth’s position on transgender troops.
Democrat Chrissy Houlahan, an Air Force veteran, said it “proves that Secretary Hegseth is taking orders from the far reaches of the manosphere.”
Both called on Mr. Hegseth to make hormone testing available to men and women.
Pete Hasget says the program will allow soldiers to undergo testosterone replacement therapy. (NurPhoto via AFP: Allison Bailey)
“Let’s implement hormonal screening for all our brave service members to help us identify fertility problems early, as research shows that both women and men in our armed forces are disproportionately likely to experience higher rates of infertility than the general population,” Ms. Duckworth, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.
Mr Hegseth has previously said he does not believe women should be in combat positions and that those positions should be based on the “highest male standards”.
Since he took over the Pentagon, he has blocked some women’s promotions in the military and fired female leaders.
In April, Hegseth announced the end of the military’s long-standing mandate on flu vaccinations, citing “medical autonomy” and religious freedom.
In June, a flu outbreak at a U.S. Air Force boot camp affected hundreds of people.
AP/ABC