Pentagon to test troops’ testosterone levels, offer hormone therapy if needed

Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon would begin testing some service members for testosterone deficiency and, if a medical professional recommends it, offer hormone therapy as part of their routine military health care. The new screening will be folded into periodic health assessments, apply annually to troops age 30 and older, and remain voluntary for those under 30.

Hegseth cast the effort as a readiness measure, saying troops need the “right testosterone levels” to perform at their “absolute best” and stay on the “leading edge of lethality.” He also linked it to his broader campaign to restore military standards and the “warrior ethos,” a push that has already included a directive for certain combat roles to return to the “highest male standard only” and a Pentagon review of military standards launched in March 2025.

The condition is recognized in medicine and can be associated with fatigue, muscle loss, weight gain and sexual dysfunction, while testosterone naturally declines with age. Roughly 5.6% of men ages 30 to 79 have testosterone deficiency.

The Pentagon did not immediately say whether the program would apply differently to men and women, and declined to answer whether female service members would also receive annual hormone screenings or access to testosterone replacement therapy.

The FY2025 defense bill included a measure directing the Defense Department to brief lawmakers on available low-testosterone treatments and current testing and screening protocols. Hegseth, who became the 29th secretary of defense on Jan. 25, 2025, posted the announcement video to X and called it “The High-T Department of War.”