Judge orders Hegseth to explain US military’s new testosterone policy

The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has announced that male service members aged 30 and over will be checked for the ‘right testosterone levels’. Photograph: Finn Gomez/Getty Images View image in fullscreen The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has announced that male service members aged 30 and over will be checked for the ‘right testosterone levels’. Photograph: Finn Gomez/Getty Images Judge orders Hegseth to explain US military’s new testosterone policy Court questions plan to offer male hormone treatment to cisgender troops while denying it to trans service members Pete Hegseth’s controversial plan to screen older soldiers for testosterone deficiencies and offer them more of the hormone faced scrutiny this week from a federal judge, who ordered the Trump administration to explain a discrepancy with the treatment of transgender troops. The US defense secretary announced earlier this month that male service members aged 30 and above would be checked to ensure they have the “right testosterone levels” to perform in the military at an optimal level. “By addressing these health markers early, we’re keeping you on the leading edge of lethality,” he said in a video posted on X explaining the new policy and using the kind of fighting talk now standard in the Pentagon, which Donald Trump has labeled the Department of War . Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon plan for testosterone screening Read more According to Hegseth’s announcement to advance what he called “the High-T department of war”, military members found to have lower than normal levels of testosterone, the naturally occurring male hormone that helps build and maintain bone density and muscle mass, can volunteer for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). On Wednesday, however, a federal judge overseeing one of two lawsuits challenging Trump’s ban on and attempt at removing transgender troops, questioned discrepancies in the government promoting TRT for cisgender soldiers while making the case that the need for hormone treatment is disqualifying for those who are transgender. “The Armed Forces must adhere to high mental and physical health standards… without the benefit of routine medical treatment or special provisions,” Judge Ana Reyes, district court judge for the District of Columbia wrote in an order , citing Trump’s own executive order justifying a ban on transgender troops. In the document, she requested information on the Pentagon’s “basis for treating trans men and other service members differently between this new policy and the Military Ban”. The Pentagon must address this, and other questions about the cost and administration of TRT, before the next scheduled hearing in the case on 7 August, Reyes, an appointee of former president Joe Biden, ordered. Hegseth’s mandate has also drawn the ire of medical experts , who said unnecessary or inappropriately prescribed TRT might have harmful consequences contrary to the intended purpose of maintaining battle readiness. The do