Op-Ed: For Most Service Members, Testosterone Isn't an Answer

Sebastian Junger has watched what "peak performance" looks like in combat, and he's not convinced the Pentagon's new testosterone push is the way to get there. In a Wall Street Journal essay, the war reporter and Restrepo co-director recalls young paratroopers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley hauling more than 100 pounds of gear at altitude while under regular fire—an environment where anyone who couldn't keep up was quickly weeded out by the job itself. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth now wants all service members 30 and older tested yearly for low testosterone, with optional hormone therapy for those flagged, arguing it will keep troops on "the leading edge of lethality."

Junger counters that only a small fraction of the military does that kind of punishing ground combat, and for most roles testosterone is more lifestyle issue than battlefield necessity. He also points to research tying supplemental testosterone to spikes in aggression and impulsivity—risks he says Hegseth's "High-T" rollout barely acknowledges, especially for troops far from the front lines. Although it would help in some roles, Junger writes: "Far more typical in the military are jobs like the ones Secretary Hegseth had during his stint of active duty. He guarded detainees at Guantanamo Bay, served as a civil affairs officer in Iraq and taught counterinsurgency classes in Afghanistan." Junger's full Journal essay can be found here.