In mid-July, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unexpected announcement: At his insistence, the Pentagon would begin annual testing of U.S. service members age 30 and older for possible testosterone deficiency.

In an exceedingly weird video posted to social media, the secretary said his goal was to ensure a “High-T Department of War.” The New York Times reported, “Mr. Hegseth’s focus on testosterone levels at a moment when U.S. forces are ramping up attacks in Iran is unorthodox. Defense secretaries typically focus on larger strategic questions, involving alliances, war and weapons production.”

Nevertheless, the Pentagon took all of this quite seriously, and on Wednesday, the department issued detailed guidance on mandatory testosterone screenings, effective immediately.

One day later, Reuters reported:

The Pentagon is temporarily rescinding ​recently published clinical ‌guidance for a new, mandatory testosterone deficiency screening ​policy for service ​members age 30 and ⁠older, a U.S. ​official told Reuters on ​Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon posted the “Clinical Guidance for ​Health and Human ​Performance Optimization” on its website. ‌By ⁠Thursday, the memo and an accompanying statement had been removed.

When and whether the rescinded policy is restored remains to be seen, but it’s important to emphasize that Hegseth’s underlying goal remains misguided.

As MS NOW’s Ryan Teague Beckwith recently explained, “Testosterone is present in everyone, though at much higher levels in most men than in most women. There is no single ‘normal’ level. The hormone is typically at its highest in the early morning, then slowly drops throughout the day. Among younger men, it can fluctuate by as much as 50%. Some studies have shown it might even be affected by the seasons. To get a good baseline, endocrinologists recommend having blood drawn at least twice on different days between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., preferably after fasting, especially for younger men.”

If the paused policy is restored, will the Defense Department oversee two separate tests, under very specific conditions, for every male soldier over the age of 30? All because of some odd idea from a former Fox News personality? If they goal is to produce accurate results, the answer would be “yes.”

Beckwith’s piece concluded, “The policy reflects a broader tendency to treat testosterone not as a hormone but as a cultural symbol.”

This article has been updated to reflect the Pentagon’s decision to rescind the policy temporarily.

The post Pentagon issues, then rescinds, Hegseth’s policy on service members’ testosterone tests appeared first on MS NOW.

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