Pete Hegseth Wants to Screen the Military for Testosterone Levels—But Who’s Screening Him For Being a Dick?

There may be no place for vaccine mandates and trans service members in Pete Hegseth’s military—but in a brilliant stroke of fascist irony, the War Defense Secretary has decided to roll out a medical, hormone-based protocol of his own. Cool!

On Wednesday, Hegseth announced via Twitter that the army plans to screen service members for their testosterone levels every year, and will offer TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) to anyone who’s not T’ed up to their full potential. “As we know, the modern battlefield is brutal and unrelenting,” Hegseth said, in a video that seemed to be filmed in his totally-not-a makeup studio. “It requires and demands maximum psychological and mental readiness, and by addressing these health markers early, we’re keeping you on the leading edge of lethality, and giving you the same level of support that you give this nation-the absolute best.”

The video, captioned “The High-T Department of War,” spans a cursed 2 minutes and 30 seconds—and comes as yet another reminder of Hegseth’s obsession with masculine-maxxing the military, such as requiring all combat service members to be of “the highest male standard only.” (We’ll get to this shortly.)

Offering testosterone treatments to servicemembers = gender affirming care https://t.co/0qpGgCFr1v

— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) July 15, 2026

 

“Warfighters age 30 and older are going to be tested annually as part of their period health assessment,” Hegseth said. “Those under 30 can voluntarily choose to get the test as well.” “It’s not about artificial enhancement. It’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain a fight.” 

Uh… so much bullshit to unpack! But here’s a reminder that multiple studies have shown testosterone does not directly cause aggression—and rather, all this is part of the administration’s grim obsession with promoting testosterone levels, and boosting TRT access for men. Few voices have been as resoundingly annoying about this as Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who’s bragged about injecting testosterone as part of his “anti-aging regimen,” warned Americans that teens will soon have “50% of the testosterone of a 65-year-old man,” and earlier this month said he’d loosen restrictions on TRT.

According to the Pentagon guidelines, those who will be recommended TRT treatment will be allowed to choose whether they actually want to or not—though the Defense Department has reportedly declined to comment on whether these individuals would face repercussions for declining. 

Hegseth’s announcement also fails to mention how exactly the 17% of military members that are women will be affected—though NBC News has reported that the Defense Department has also refrained from saying anything on whether there’d be estrogen screenings for female soldiers, as well. But time and time again, Hegseth has reminded Americans how much he’d prefer to not have women in his military, having said as early as 2024 that he would like to remove women from combat roles during a podcast. With him at the helm, he’s ordered reviews into female officers in combat positions to ensure their military “effectiveness”; blocked several women—repeatedly—from being promoted in the Pentagon; and removed several of them from leadership positions immediately after coming into office. Because while women, beards, and journalists aren’t allowed in Pete Hegseth’s military… I guess big dicks are.