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Hegseth orders annual screening
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new annual testosterone screening programme for US service members aged 30 and over, to be added to the periodic health assessment that troops already complete each year and is mandatory for service members 30 and older.
Hegseth said in a video posted on X that the initiative is "not about artificial enhancement" and is "about restoring and optimising your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight."
Under the policy, those under 30 would be able to opt in, and any resulting treatment including testosterone replacement therapy would remain the individual’s choice, Hegseth said.
The BBC reported that soldiers found to have low levels of the hormone will have the option to begin testosterone replacement therapy if needed (TRT), while the Pentagon has given few details about how testing will be carried out among the department's roughly 1.3 million active-duty troops.
The BBC also said Hegseth released a video promoting the policy shift towards mandatory testing, saying it would help keep soldiers on the "leading edge of lethality."
Doctors warn of fertility risk
Health experts the BBC spoke to urged caution, warning that regular screenings could lead to inaccurate diagnoses and that infertility is a common side effect for TRT users.
Dr James Anaissie, a Texas-based urologist who co-authored a study on testosterone deficiency, told the BBC, "It'll decrease your fertility and lower your sperm count significantly," adding, "Your testicles are going to shrink."
The BBC said it could take up to a year or longer for sperm count to return to normal after unnecessary TRT, and it described how symptoms like low mood, reduced sex drive and loss of muscle mass can overlap with other conditions.
The BBC also reported that the Pentagon programme is likely to be costly to implement, and that the Endocrine Society and the American College of Physicians recommend against general screenings for testosterone levels.
CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder said, "Testosterone in the normal range is not a performance drug," and warned that replacement has not been shown to sharpen thinking, fix fatigue, or make a healthy 30-year-old a better soldier.
Scale, logistics, and debate
The BBC said the Pentagon programme drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Tammy Duckworth, who said the announcement sounded "like gender-affirming care to me," and Representative Chrissy Houlahan, who said it "proves that Secretary Hegseth takes direction from the far corners of the manosphere".
The BBC reported that both lawmakers called for hormone screening to be extended to women in uniform, citing elevated infertility rates among military personnel, while Al Jazeera said the screening is the latest in a series of moves by Hegseth to reshape the military around physical standards and what he describes as a warrior ethos.
Al Jazeera said testosterone levels in men decline naturally with age by roughly 1 percent a year after 30 or 40, and it described Hegseth’s Wednesday video message as tying the policy to maintaining the "individual warfighter."
CBS News reported that doctors flagged concerns about cost and implementation, noting that testosterone levels can fluctuate based on age, lifestyle and even the time of day, and that reference ranges are calibrated to a narrow time window between 8 and 10 a.m.
CBS News also quoted Dr. Marcus Goncalves saying, "The normal range is from 270 to 900-plus," and warned that putting people on that scale has no link to how masculine they are or feel or look.
