Pentagon to proceed with controversial testosterone testing after pause
The Pentagon has resumed a mandatory testosterone screening program for service members aged 30 and older after a brief pause. Despite warnings from medical professionals regarding potential health risks, the Department of Defense is moving forward with the initiative to improve military readiness.
Why it matters
The policy reflects a controversial intersection of military health policy and internal defense department priorities regarding personnel readiness.
The Pentagon is reinstituting a mandatory testing program for testosterone deficiency among U.S. service members aged 30 and older, a spokesperson said on Thursday (September 17, 2026), bringing back a program that many medical experts have described as unnecessary and potentially harmful.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has promoted the use of testosterone to improve military readiness, first announced the screening mandate in July.
Under the announced guidance, women were also set to be screened through a questionnaire and could then move to treatment for conditions related to hormonal imbalances.
In early September, however, the Pentagon temporarily rescinded the published medical guidance for the testosterone screening “to allow for updates.”
The latest move lifts that pause, allowing testing to go forward. It was not immediately clear what, if any, updates had been made to the original policy.
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