{"id":3751,"date":"2026-07-16T20:39:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T20:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3751"},"modified":"2026-07-16T20:39:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T20:39:46","slug":"whats-defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-doing-to-deep-six-low-testosterone-levels-in-the-ranks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3751","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doing to deep-six low testosterone levels in the ranks?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>KEY POINTS<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Pentagon: U.S. military personnel who are 30 or older will now be tested for testosterone deficiency.<\/li>\n<li>Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth said the new testing policy will ensure optimal outcomes for the military and individual service members.<\/li>\n<li>Hegseth previously lifted a Pentagon rule requiring all troops to receive annual flu shots.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Pushups, pullups and timed \u201cover hill, over dale\u201d runs are time-honored cornerstones of military training, fitness and health measurements. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3749\">Opinion: What I hope to see in Christopher Nolan\u2019s adaptation of \u2018The Odyssey\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now add testosterone level screening to that fitness list \u2014 at least for troops who have hit their 30s.<\/p>\n<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth \u2014 who has forcefully advocated for \u201cfit not fat\u201d troops \u2014 announced on his X account Wednesday that he\u2019s implementing a new screening program for testosterone deficiency across the U.S. Armed Forces.<\/p>\n<p>The testosterone deficiency test is apparently for anyone in uniform age 30 or over. Those under 30 can volunteer for the test. But it\u2019s unclear from Hegseth\u2019s X message if the mandatory testosterone testing is for both male and female military personnel.<\/p>\n<p>As part of \u201cthe most elite warriors on the face of the Earth,\u201d Americans in uniform are pushed daily to the physical and mental limits to master the profession of arms, said Hegseth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe demand your all, and you give it,\u201d he said. \u201cBut while we invest heavily in our weapon systems, platforms, and gear, our most decisive tactical advantage will always be the individual warfighter. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a sacred duty to maintain that advantage \u2014 which is why we must constantly look for new ways to optimize your performance, your resilience and your long-term health.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The High-T Department of War. pic.twitter.com\/hlAUq3j2cD<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) July 15, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The new screening program for \u201cwarfighters ages 30 and older\u201d will ensure that all \u201chave the right testosterone levels to operate at their absolute best \u2014 because it\u2019s well-established science that as we age, testosterone levels naturally drop,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>The mandatory testosterone deficiency test for 30-and-over military personnel will now be part of a service member\u2019s annual health assessment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf treatment is recommended, it\u2019s entirely your choice to receive testosterone replacement therapy,\u201d said Hegseth. \u201cThis initiative, it\u2019s not about artificial enhancement. It\u2019s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mandatory testosterone deficiency test, he added, delivers on the Pentagon\u2019s obligation to provide the nation\u2019s troops with the world\u2019s best medical care.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTaking care of your long-term health means ensuring you remain strong, resilient, and capable \u2014 not just for your next deployment, but for the rest of your life, so you can thrive long after you take off the uniform. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we know, the modern battlefield is brutal and unrelenting. It requires and demands maximum psychological and mental readiness.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Recent flu shot policies for the troops<\/h3>\n<p>Hegseth has made troop fitness and appearance a DOD priority since taking the Pentagon reins.<\/p>\n<p>Last year he ordered a department-wide review of existing standards set by U.S. military branches pertaining to physical fitness, body composition and grooming \u2014 including beards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world\u2019s most lethal and effective fighting force,\u201d wrote Hegseth. \u201cOur adversaries are not growing weaker \u2014 and our tasks are not growing less challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>U.S. troops, he added on social media, \u201cwill be fit \u2014 not fat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth\u2019s Wednesday directive that 30-and-over troops will be tested for testosterone deficiencies comes just two months after he updated the Pentagon\u2019s annual flu shot policy for U.S. troops.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3747\">What to know about Cyclospora, the tiny parasite behind massive U.S. outbreak<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In April, he announced that service members will no longer be required to receive the annual influenza vaccine \u2014 calling the mandate \u201coverly broad and not rational.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Discarding the Defense Department\u2019s mandatory flu vaccine requirement, said Hegseth, was done to protect the troops\u2019 \u201cmedical autonomy.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The War Department is once again restoring freedom to our Joint Force.  <\/p>\n<p>We are discarding the mandatory flu vaccine requirement, effective immediately. pic.twitter.com\/9K5W8g0NsD<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) April 21, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cUnder President Trump, the War Department continues to take decisive action to once again restore freedom and strength to our joint force. We\u2019re seizing this moment to discard any absurd, overreaching mandates that only weaken our war fighting capabilities,\u201d Hegseth said in an X post. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this case, this includes the universal flu vaccine and the mandate behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Requiring every service member to receive the annual flu vaccine, Hegseth added, is far-reaching and irrational.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur new policy is simple: If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you are free to take it. You should.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut we will not force you \u2014 because your body, your faith and your convictions are not negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon\u2019s voluntary flu vaccine policy has already faced scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>Last month a flu outbreak infecting hundreds of Air Force recruits participating in basic training at San Antonio\u2019s Lackland Air Force Base reportedly prompted several branches of the military to once again require flu shots for basic trainees.<\/p>\n<h3>Trump administration: Wide support for testosterone therapy<\/h3>\n<p>The Trump administration\u2019s advocacy for aggressive testosterone management stretches beyond the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., proposed earlier this month to loosen restrictions on the therapy, according to NBC News. <\/p>\n<p>The move came after a Food and Drug Administration panel in December called for regulatory changes to make testosterone therapy more accessible.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy has previously said that he was taking testosterone replacements, which he said were \u201cappropriate for my age.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since 2015, NBC News noted, testosterone replacement therapies have carried warning labels and have only been available to men who have both low testosterone and an associated medical condition. <\/p>\n<p>Although some past research has linked the therapy to strokes, heart attacks and death, a 2023 study known as the TRAVERSE trial found that testosterone replacement therapy did not increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.<\/p>\n<p>Health officials in the Trump administration have also reportedly touted the potential benefits of hormone replacement therapy for women. The FDA last year removed black box warnings on the therapies for menopause<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3745\">5 things to know about the declining air quality in the U.S.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said requiring military personnel who are 30 or older to take testosterone deficiency tests will help optimize performance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-utah"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What\u2019s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doing to deep-six low testosterone levels in the ranks? 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