Pete Hegseth's Testosterone Testing for Troops Moving Forward: 'We are Building a High-T Department Focused on Strength, Performance and Lethality'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to measure service members’ testosterone levels has gone through numerous iterations and considerable pushback, but according to department spokespeople, the plan is plowing full speed ahead.

“Everything we do comes back to readiness,” announced Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, who like Hegseth refers to the congressionally-named Defense Department as the Department of War. “We are building a High-T Department focused on strength, performance, lethality, and a fighting force ready to dominate the battlefield and achieve the President and the Secretary’s peace through strength agenda.”

The current guidance from the department mandates testosterone deficiency screening for all male service members above the age of 30, with optional screening for those under 30. Hormone treatments will be made available to those found to have deficient hormone levels.

"I'm authorizing a new screening program for testosterone deficiency for our service members, ensuring you have the right testosterone levels to operate at your absolute best," Hegseth said when announcing the policy.

Some observers have expressed concern that the plan might affect the fertility of service members down the road, or require lifelong injections that the government has not committed to paying for.

Hormones have been an ongoing fixation for the second Donald Trump administration. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, recently quoted Dr. Mehmet Oz as saying Trump himself, at 80 years old, has “the highest testosterone levels that he’s ever seen for an individual over 70 years old.”

Hegseth has tinkered with military medical protocols in the past, with varying results. Earlier this year, he ended the military’s flu vaccine requirement.

After flu outbreaks caused fatalities and significant readiness deficiencies at boot camps, all the services reinstated vaccine requirements for trainees.

The “High-T” plan has also been roundly mocked by observers.

“What are they doing next? Measuring p---- size?” asked The View co-host Sara Haines. “Like, this feels like the manosphere is in charge of the military. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Hegseth himself has had difficulty keeping up with troops while participating in physical training alongside them for photo-ops.

The scheme has gone through multiple iterations. An earlier version of the plan also included testing female troops for hormone levels but were scrapped.