In a posted video to X , United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced a new military health initiative dubbed “High-T,” which introduces mandatory annual testosterone screenings for active-duty service members aged 30 and older.

Integrated directly into the military’s existing periodic health assessments, the program aims to identify testosterone deficiencies and offer diagnosed troops the option to receive testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).

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Hegseth described the initiative as a way to maintain military readiness, help troops operate at their “absolute best,” and keep the nation’s fighting force on the “leading edge of lethality”.

This proactive screening targets a crucial physiological marker, as testosterone is a vital hormone responsible for regulating essential biological functions, including muscle mass, bone density, and reproductive health. Because testosterone levels naturally decline as a normal part of aging — typically dropping by about 1% each year after age 30 — deficiencies can often manifest as chronic fatigue, decreased physical strength, and mood changes.

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“While we invest heavily in our weapon systems, platforms and gear, our most decisive tactical advantage will always be the individual warfighter,” Hegseth said. “We have a sacred duty to maintain that advantage, which is why we must constantly look for new ways to optimize your performance, your resilience and your long-term health.”

Hegseth emphasized that the new screening program is aimed at ensuring troops “have the right testosterone levels to operate at [their] absolute best because it’s well-established science that as we age, testosterone levels often naturally drop.”

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When journalists asked the War Department whether the military’s more than 230,000 female service members would also be included in the hormone testing initiative — or whether they would be offered comparable hormone health evaluations, such as assessments related to perimenopause and estrogen levels — the Pentagon declined to answer.

A Deeper Issue

In the United States, historical health data reveals a dramatic and rapid decline in male testosterone levels over the last few decades, demonstrating a generational shift that cannot be explained by aging alone.

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Remarkably, even when researchers controlled for the country’s rising body mass index (BMI), young American men with a completely normal weight still experienced a significant decline of roughly 20%. This finding aligns with the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, which tracked American men from 1987 to 2004 and established that baseline testosterone levels were dropping by about 1.2% every single year, independent of age.

When compounded from 1990 through 2026, this steady downward trajectory represents a cumulative decline of more than 35% in the average baseline testosterone of American men, confirming that a typical middle-aged man today possesses substantially lower hormone levels than a man of the exact same age did thirty-five years ago.

(*) Full article: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/recap-hegseth-announces-annual-testosterone-screenings-replacement-therapies-for-u-s-troops-to-operate-at-their-absolute-best/