▶ Watch Video: Behind the cultural shift and focus on testosterone and masculinity
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday the Pentagon will require service members over the age of 30 to be screened for testosterone deficiency annually. If they are recommended for treatment, they may choose to receive testosterone replacement therapy.
“I’m authorizing a new screening program for testosterone deficiency for our service members, ensuring you have the right testosterone levels to operate at your absolute best,” Hegseth announced in a video on X titled “High-T Department.”
He said service members would be tested annually as part of their periodic health assessment. Those under 30 can voluntarily choose to be tested, as well.
“We owe our warriors the absolute best medical care in the world, and this program delivers on that obligation,” Hegseth said in the video. “Taking care of your long-term health means ensuring you remain strong, resilient and capable — not just for your next deployment, but for the rest of your life, so you can thrive long after you take off the uniform.”
The Pentagon has not released additional guidance about the policy. The Defense Health Agency referred questions to the Pentagon.
The definition of low testosterone varies, so its prevalence has a wide range, from 2% to 50% in different studies, according to the American Urological Association.
Then-Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, citing a 2007 study, said during a 2025 panel on testosterone replacement therapy that 5.6% of men aged 30-79 have low testosterone and symptoms, like depression and decreased strength.
Researchers have found military training can impact testosterone levels of service members.
“The high operations tempo and high stress that these service members go through can actually decrease testosterone, sometimes acutely and sometimes even in the long term,” Army Major Theodore Crisostomo-Wynne said at the 2025 FDA panel.
Major Crisostomo-Wynne is a urologist at Madigan Army Center and said he spoke to the panel in a personal capacity and was not representing the views of the Pentagon or Defense Health Agency.
He said testosterone deficiency is of particular concern in the special operations community where researchers have observed a new syndrome they are calling “The Operator Syndrome.”
“We think that it’s due to chronic stress, blast exposure, traumatic brain injuries and sleep disruptions, which lead to hormonal dysregulation, mood and cognitive changes,” Crisostomo-Wynne said. “And among the many medical and psychologic, you know, things that are at play in the syndrome, decreased testosterone and hormonal changes is one of the ones that seems to be prevalent in almost all of these guys.”
In his video, Hegseth called service members the military’s “most decisive tactical advantage.”
He said the battlefield “requires and demands maximum psychological and mental readiness, and 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.”