by Ellen Mitchell – 07/15/26 1:21 PM ET
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced a new effort to annually screen service members’ testosterone levels and offer testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), framing it as a way to keep troops on the “leading edge of lethality.”
The screening, added as part of warfighters’ periodic health assessment, will affect troops age 30 and older, though those younger than 30 can voluntarily choose to get the test, Hegseth said in a video message posted to the social platform X.
“While we invest heavily in our weapon systems, platforms and gear, our most decisive tactical advantage will always be the individual warfighter,” Hegseth said. “We have a sacred duty to maintain that advantage, which is why we must constantly look for new ways to optimize your performance, your resilience and your long-term health.”
The Pentagon chief authorized the new screening program to ensure troops “have the right testosterone levels to operate at [their] absolute best because it’s well-established science that as we age, testosterone levels often naturally drop,” he said.
Should treatment be recommended following the test, service members have the choice to receive TRT.
“This initiative it’s not about artificial enhancement; it’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain and fight,” according to Hegseth. “We owe our warriors the absolute best medical care in the world. And this program delivers on that obligation.”
Added to the video, Hegseth wrote: “The High-T Department of War.”
Traditional masculinity has been a fixture of the Trump administration. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in January declared that Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz had reviewed President Trump’s medical records and found that he had “the highest testosterone levels that he’s ever seen for an individual over 70.”
And in April, the Food and Drug Administration moved to expand access to TRT after decades of recommending it only be prescribed to men with medical issues affecting testosterone production.
Hegseth, a former National Guard member and Fox News host, has imposed new, stricter fitness standards on the U.S. military that will require everyone to meet a “male standard.” He also has sought to highlight troops’ health by frequently working out with service members.
Last September, in a speech addressing several hundred high-ranking officials in Quantico, Va., Hegseth said he didn’t want to see overweight troops or “fat generals and admirals.”
Roughly 5.6 percent of men between 30 and 79 years old have testosterone deficiency, which can cause muscle loss, fatigue, weight gain and sexual dysfunction. It also is linked to other serious health conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and depression.
“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,” Hegseth said.
