US troops to undergo testosterone testing
US troops to undergo testosterone testing
Iona CleaveWed, July 15, 2026 at 6:57 PM UTC
55
Defence secretary orders mandatory screenings for military personnel over 30 - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Pete Hegseth has ordered the Pentagon to begin new testosterone-deficiency screenings for troops over the age of 30.
The US defence secretary announced on Wednesday that the new policy would ensure “our warriors” have the “biological foundation to sustain the fight”, raising concerns about the exclusion of women.
In a move likely to prompt controversy, Mr Hegseth will make testosterone testing a standard part of the military’s annual health assessments.
Service members under 30 will have the option to receive it voluntarily.
“Every single day you are pushed to your absolute mental and physical limits,” Mr Hegseth said in a video released on X. He called the new screenings an effort to ensure soldiers have “the right testosterone levels to operate at your absolute best”.
If you fall below the required levels, he added: “It is entirely your choice to receive testosterone replacement therapy.”
However, Mr Hegseth did not clarify what would happen to soldiers who refused the artificial enhancement.
It also raises significant questions about female soldiers, considering women have on average 90 per cent less testosterone than men.He did not suggest they would be excluded from the screenings.
Advertisement
The Pentagon would not answer further requests for clarification by The Telegraph.
Hegseth’s ‘warrior ethos’ philosophy is designed to purge the US military of what he calls ‘woke garbage’ - Instagram
Mr Hegseth, who has heavily inserted his Christian conservative values into the traditionally secular military, cast his testosterone programme as a “sacred duty” to optimise troops’ resilience, performance, and long-term health.
Since being nominated to lead the Pentagon, Mr Hegseth has carried out sweeping reforms in what he renamed the department of war, returning it to a strict wartime footing. His “warrior ethos” philosophy is designed to purge the US military of what he calls “woke garbage”.
Mr Hegseth has repeatedly complained that the armed forces focused too heavily on diversity quotas at the expense of merit, which has disadvantaged white men.
He recently blocked the promotions of seven senior US navy officers, five of whom are women or people of colour, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing current and former defence officials.
It means that for the first time in more than a decade, no female active-duty naval officers will be promoted to admiral this year.
Overall, Mr Hegseth has allegedly fired or sidelined more than two dozen generals and admirals and removed roughly 40 senior officers from promotion lists – more than half of whom have been female or black.
Last December, NPR reported the Pentagon began a six-month review of women in ground combat roles, to ensure what it called military “effectiveness”.
As of March, there were 231,741 active-duty women in the US military, representing 17.7 per cent of the total force.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
