OAN Staff Lillian Mann and Brooke Mallory
2:30 PM – Thursday, July 16, 2026
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).
While the annual blood screening is mandatory for the older demographic, participation in any resulting hormone therapy is entirely voluntary, and service members under the age of 30 can choose to opt into the testing program on a voluntary basis.
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.
By identifying and treating these hormone declines early, the Pentagon aims to optimize the natural capabilities and long-term health of its individual warfighters, whom Hegseth highlighted as the military’s most decisive tactical advantage on the modern battlefield.
“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.”
“This initiative it’s not about artificial enhancement; it’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain and fight,” according to Hegseth. “We owe our warriors the absolute best medical care in the world. And this program delivers on that obligation.”
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.
According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys analyzed in 2021, the average total testosterone for young American men aged 15 to 40 plummeted by approximately 25% in just 17 years, dropping from 605.39 ng/dL in 1999 to 451.22 ng/dL by 2016.
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.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below
Be the first to comment