What’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doing to deep-six low testosterone levels in the ranks?

Pushups, pullups and timed “over hill, over dale” runs are time-honored cornerstones of military training, fitness and health measurements.

Now add testosterone level screening to that fitness list — at least for troops who have hit their 30s.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — who has forcefully advocated for “fit not fat” troops — announced on his X account Wednesday that he’s implementing a new screening program for testosterone deficiency across the U.S. Armed Forces.

The testosterone deficiency test is apparently for anyone in uniform age 30 or over. Those under 30 can volunteer for the test. But it’s unclear from Hegseth’s X message if the mandatory testosterone testing is for both male and female military personnel.

As part of “the most elite warriors on the face of the Earth,” Americans in uniform are pushed daily to the physical and mental limits to master the profession of arms, said Hegseth.

“We demand your all, and you give it,” he said. “But while we invest heavily in our weapon systems, platforms, and gear, our most decisive tactical advantage will always be the individual warfighter.

“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.”

The new screening program for “warfighters ages 30 and older” will ensure that all “have the right testosterone levels to operate at their absolute best — because it’s well-established science that as we age, testosterone levels naturally drop," he said.

The mandatory testosterone deficiency test for 30-and-over military personnel will now be part of a service member’s annual health assessment.

“If treatment is recommended, it’s entirely your choice to receive testosterone replacement therapy,” said Hegseth. “This initiative, 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 the fight.”

The mandatory testosterone deficiency test, he added, delivers on the Pentagon’s obligation to provide the nation’s troops with the world’s best medical care.

“Taking care of your long-term health means ensuring you remain strong, resilient, and capable — not just for your next deployment, but for the rest of your life, so you can thrive long after you take off the uniform.

“As we know, the modern battlefield is brutal and unrelenting. It requires and demands maximum psychological and mental readiness.”

Recent flu shot policies for the troops

Hegseth has made troop fitness and appearance a DOD priority since taking the Pentagon reins.

Last year he ordered a department-wide review of existing standards set by U.S. military branches pertaining to physical fitness, body composition and grooming — including beards.

“We must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world’s most lethal and effective fighting force,” wrote Hegseth. “Our adversaries are not growing weaker — and our tasks are not growing less challenging.”

U.S. troops, he added on social media, “will be fit — not fat.”

Hegseth’s Wednesday directive that 30-and-over troops will be tested for testosterone deficiencies comes just two months after he updated the Pentagon’s annual flu shot policy for U.S. troops.

In April, he announced that service members will no longer be required to receive the annual influenza vaccine — calling the mandate “overly broad and not rational.”

Discarding the Defense Department’s mandatory flu vaccine requirement, said Hegseth, was done to protect the troops’ “medical autonomy.”

“Under President Trump, the War Department continues to take decisive action to once again restore freedom and strength to our joint force. We’re seizing this moment to discard any absurd, overreaching mandates that only weaken our war fighting capabilities,” Hegseth said in an X post.

“In this case, this includes the universal flu vaccine and the mandate behind it.”

Requiring every service member to receive the annual flu vaccine, Hegseth added, is far-reaching and irrational.

“Our new policy is simple: If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you are free to take it. You should.

“But we will not force you — because your body, your faith and your convictions are not negotiable.”

The Pentagon’s voluntary flu vaccine policy has already faced scrutiny.

Last month a flu outbreak infecting hundreds of Air Force recruits participating in basic training at San Antonio’s Lackland Air Force Base reportedly prompted several branches of the military to once again require flu shots for basic trainees.

Trump administration: Wide support for testosterone therapy

The Trump administration’s advocacy for aggressive testosterone management stretches beyond the Pentagon.

The Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., proposed earlier this month to loosen restrictions on the therapy, according to NBC News.

The move came after a Food and Drug Administration panel in December called for regulatory changes to make testosterone therapy more accessible.

Kennedy has previously said that he was taking testosterone replacements, which he said were “appropriate for my age.”

Since 2015, NBC News noted, testosterone replacement therapies have carried warning labels and have only been available to men who have both low testosterone and an associated medical condition.

Although some past research has linked the therapy to strokes, heart attacks and death, a 2023 study known as the TRAVERSE trial found that testosterone replacement therapy did not increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Health officials in the Trump administration have also reportedly touted the potential benefits of hormone replacement therapy for women. The FDA last year removed black box warnings on the therapies for menopause