多名参议院民主党议员致函国防部长皮特・赫格塞思，要求其就一项全新体检指令作出详细说明。该指令要求全军官兵检测睾酮水平，议员们提出多项担忧：新规针对女性军人如何落地、是否会诱导官兵私自服用存在安全隐患的激素类补剂等。
康涅狄格州参议员理查德・布卢门撒尔、夏威夷州参议员玛齐・广野、密歇根州参议员加里・彼得斯、马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白・沃伦、亚利桑那州参议员鲁本・加列戈共同联名致信赫格塞思。信中指出，五角大楼至今未对这项全覆盖体检新规作出充分解释，新规的科学依据、财政成本、潜在风险均疑点重重。
议员们在信函中写道：“国防部未能提供任何证据，证明这项覆盖全军的新规能够提升部队战备水平、改善官兵健康;也未说明政策背后的医学依据、落地所需开支，以及全军推行将带来的各类风险。”
上周，赫格塞思正式下达指令：30 周岁及以上所有军人(包含女性)，每年常规体检必须增加睾酮检测项目。以往年度体检仅围绕视力、听力等基础健康指标开展，本次新增激素筛查属于大范围拓展。30 岁以下军人可自愿申请检测;无论年龄，如需开展睾酮替代治疗，也完全遵从个人意愿。
这项政策尚未正式落地，配套实施细则仍未敲定，官兵何时开始在年度体检中接受睾酮检测暂无明确时间表。不过赫格塞思要求军方在 8 月 15 日前出台完整执行方案。
政策落地成本目前完全未知，为完成大批量睾酮检测，美军各体检站点可能需要额外增聘医护人员。
自赫格塞思就任国防部长以来，强化官兵体能一直是其施政重点。国防部长本职通常聚焦大型作战规划、五角大楼宏观事务，而赫格塞思的做法比较特殊，他还时常拍摄视频，在五角大楼和官兵一同健身。
此前他已下令各军种修订体能考核标准、重新设定体脂评判指标，本月初还启用了全新体成分测算方式;陆军也已开始在地面作战岗位推行不分性别的统一体能考核标准。
目前仍有诸多悬而未决的关键问题：若官兵睾酮数值低于五角大楼尚未划定的标准阈值，是否会受到行政处分;以及这套检测体系该如何适配女性军人。
议员在信中表示：“国防部近期接连出台举措，用夸张的男性气质标准重塑军营文化，本次睾酮筛查计划与之叠加，或将毁掉多年来的努力 —— 长久以来军方始终倡导，评判女性军人只应依据其完成作战任务的实际能力。”
对于这项新规，军中看法两极分化。部分人支持扩大睾酮检测与治疗渠道，认为通过军方医保项目 “三军医保” 申请睾酮替代治疗流程繁琐;但另一部分人提出警示：新规可能催生不良导向，官兵为避免激素指标异常记录，擅自服用未经监管的激素类补剂、合成类固醇，带来健康风险，同时睾酮数值偏低的官兵还可能遭遇难堪。
一名未获媒体采访授权、不愿具名的军方体能训练官员表示：“理论上这项政策出发点不错，但落地执行必须慎之又慎。”
睾酮水平偏低问题在美军部分群体中长期受到关注，特种作战部队尤为突出。长期高压、高强度训练、热量摄入不足等因素普遍被认为会拉低激素水平，但相关细化医学研究十分匮乏。
与此同时，睾酮替代疗法近年来在播客、社交媒体、健康养生行业大肆流行，相关宣传普遍宣称该疗法能提升精力、增肌、改善身体状态。但医学专家提醒，临床上确诊睾酮缺乏的人群其实并不多。
美国泌尿协会数据显示，仅约 2% 男性存在睾酮缺乏问题。医生警示，当下睾酮替代疗法过度宣传，让大众误以为激素低下是普遍现象，这与医学研究结论严重不符。
多项研究证实，睡眠不足、营养不良都会造成睾酮下降，而这两大难题多年来始终困扰美军。
饮食营养更是全军长期短板，官兵普遍反映难以稳定获取足量优质高蛋白餐食。军营食堂饱受诟病：菜单油炸食品、碳水、糖分占比过高，优质食材分量不足，就餐时间也常常与长期轮班、作息不规律的官兵错开。
陆军老兵罗布・埃文斯运营一款供官兵评价营房、食堂的应用软件，他在接受美国广播公司采访时，谈及军营饮食问题表示：“饮食问题直接关联部队战备、兵员留存、征兵吸引力以及官兵长期身体健康。”
Democratic senators want answers about Hegseth's military testosterone plan
Senate Democrats are pressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for answers about hisdirective requiring the military to measure troops' testosterone levels, seeking details on how the policy will be carried out amid concerns over how it will apply to women and whether it could inadvertently encourage service members to self-medicate with potentially dangerous supplements.
In a letter to Hegseth, Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Gary Peters of Michigan, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ruben Gallego of Arizona said the Pentagon has provided little explanation for the new requirement, raising questions about its scientific basis, cost and potential consequences.
"The Department has provided no evidence that this sweeping new policy will improve force readiness or health, nor has it explained the scientific basis, costs, or risks associated with implementing it across the force," the senators wrote.
Last week, Hegseth directed the military to begin screening testosterone levels for all service members, including women, age 30 and older as part of their annual physical health assessments, expanding routine exams that have traditionally focused on baseline health measures such as vision, hearing and other standard medical screenings. Troops under 30 may opt into testing voluntarily, and any recommendation for testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT, would also be voluntary for all ages.
The policy has yet to be formally implemented, thus the specifics have not yet been figured out and it remains unclear when service members will begin undergoing testosterone screenings as part of their annual health assessments, though Hegseth directed a plan be ironed out by Aug. 15.
The cost is also unknown and the Defense Department could require additional medical personnel to be hired for the screenings at routine annual exams.
The move comes as a broader focus on fitness has been core to Hegseth's tenure -- anunusualmove for a role traditionally focused on large operations and the macro workings for the Pentagon -- which includes regular videos from the Pentagon of Hegseth working out with troops.
Hegseth has directed the services to adjust their fitness tests and reassess body-fat standards, including new measurement methods introduced earlier this month. The Army has also begun integratinggender-neutral fitness requirementsfor soldiers serving in ground combat roles.
Among the unresolved questions are whether service members could face administrative consequences if their testosterone levels fall below a threshold the Pentagon has yet to define and how the policy will apply to women.
"Coupled with the Department's recent repeated efforts to redefine military culture around an exaggerated conception of masculinity, this initiative risks undermining years of work to ensure that women servicemembers are evaluated and valued based solely on their ability to perform the mission," the senators wrote.
Some welcomed the expanded access to testosterone screening and treatment, arguing that obtaining testosterone replacement therapy through Tricare, the military's health insurance program, can be cumbersome. But others warned the policy could create unintended incentives for troops to use unregulated supplements or anabolic steroids to avoid being flagged for potential health issues, while raising concerns about embarrassment for those found to have low testosterone.
"I think this is a great idea on paper, but we need to be careful about how it's implemented," said one official who works in fitness coaching and spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Low testosterone has long been a concern in some parts of the military, particularly within the special operations community, where prolonged stress, intense physical demands and inadequate caloric intake are believed to contribute to lower hormone levels, though there's little detailed research on the subject.
At the same time, testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT, has surged in popularity across podcasts, social media and the broader wellness industry, where it is often promoted as a way to boost energy, muscle mass and overall vitality. Medical experts caution, however, that clinically low testosterone is relatively uncommon.
Testosterone deficiency affects roughly 2% of men, according to the American Urological Association, and physicians have warned that the growing popularity of TRT has created the misleading impression that the condition is far more widespread than medical evidence suggests.
Moreover,factors such as insufficient sleep and poor nutrition can contribute to lower testosterone levels,studiesshow, two issues the military has long struggled to address.
Nutrition, in particular, has been a persistent challenge across the services, with troops often reporting inconsistent access to high-quality, protein-rich meals. Military dining facilities have faced criticism for menus heavy on fried foods and carbohydrates, sugar, limited portions and operating hours that do not always align with the schedules of service members working long or irregular shifts.
"It's a readiness, retention, recruiting and long-term health issue," Rob Evans, an Army veteran whose app Hots&Cots collects reviews from service members on housing and food on military bases, told ABC News about issues with nutrition on military facilities.
