US Will Screen Troops Over 30 for Low Testosterone

US troops over 30 are about to have one more number tracked: their testosterone level. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the Pentagon will roll out annual testosterone screenings for "warfighters" 30 and older, with younger troops allowed to opt in, as part of routine health checks. Any recommended treatment, including testosterone replacement therapy, will be voluntary, reports the Guardian.

In a video message posted on X alongside the words "The High-T Department of War," Hegseth framed the move as a way to keep service members "at your absolute best" and "on the leading edge of lethality" on a "brutal and unrelenting" modern battlefield. "We must constantly look for new ways to optimize your performance, your resilience, and your long-term health." The initiative comes as figures in the Trump administration, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., publicly spotlight what they describe as a low-testosterone crisis.