The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, announced on July 18, 2026, a new mandate requiring annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve military personnel aged 30 and older. Hegseth stated the screening aims to help maintain military readiness. He added that testing would be accompanied by voluntary advice to assist soldiers in making treatment decisions.

However, the policy has sparked debate among medical professionals. Five of six men’s health experts contacted by Reuters expressed puzzlement over the announcement, warning it could lead to unnecessary or even harmful treatments. Four of the six doctors noted there is no solid evidence that screening all military personnel aged 30 and older for low testosterone would optimize US combat readiness.

Dr. Kevin McVary, a urologist on the medical advisory board of telehealth platform Rugiet, said, “The evidence is not concrete, and it comes from patients who were treated because they were symptomatic.” Dr. Haleem Mohammed, chief medical officer at men’s wellness network Gameday Health, added that age 30 is not an appropriate threshold for screening. Meanwhile, Dr. Ugis Gruntmanis, an endocrinologist at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, observed that most testosterone replacement studies have focused on older men and suggested the mandate could provide data on younger men.

This testosterone screening directive is among several recent healthcare policy changes by Hegseth and other Trump administration officials that have raised questions about their scientific foundations. For instance, Hegseth previously reversed the military’s longstanding flu vaccine mandate—a decision later reversed after a flu outbreak. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services removed 17 members from its vaccine advisory panel and altered vaccine recommendations.

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