Critics have mocked the US secretary of war – known for his anti-woke policies – for pushing “gender-affirming care” in the military
The US military will screen troops aged 30 and older for low testosterone every year and offer hormone replacement therapy to those found deficient, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced.
The Pentagon chief unveiled the plan in a nearly three-minute video on X titled ‘The High-T Department of War’. He stressed that the initiative “is not about artificial enhancement” but rather “restoring and optimizing [service members’] natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight.”
Hegseth said the therapy would be optional and based on recommendations by health professionals.
Asked by reporters about which studies underpin the new policy, the Pentagon pointed back to the video, in which Hegseth said the “modern battlefield” demands “maximum psychological and mental readiness.” It did not answer whether female troops would be screened for declining estrogen.
Testosterone deficiency in men usually grows with age and is often linked to erectile dysfunction, low libido, mood changes, and weight gain. However, while recent studies by the National Institutes of Health found that testosterone replacement therapy addressed libido issues and somewhat mitigated mood swings, it did little to improve endurance, memory, or overall well-being.
Despite the available research, the administration of US President Donald Trump– particularly Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – has been pushing to make testosterone replacement therapy more widespread, with the Food and Drug Administration recently proposing to ease prescribing limits on testosterone medications.
Hegseth’s remarks triggered mockery, however, with some commentators alluding to the secretary’s hardline campaign against ‘wokeness’, DEI, and the decision to ban transgender service members.
Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth said the plan sounded “like gender-affirming care to me,” while Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democrat, suggested it proved Hegseth “takes direction from the far corners of the manosphere.”
Democratic Senator Cory Booker dismissed Hegseth as “not a serious person” and unfit for his role. “The fact that we, in the midst of a disastrous [Iran] war, have a secretary of defense doing things like this makes us a mockery globally. This is ridiculous,” he told CNN.
