Pete Hegseth’s plan for a testosterone-focused US military has hit an early setback, with the Pentagon withdrawing detailed clinical guidance less than a day after publishing it.
The Defence Department released instructions for its new hormone-screening programme on 2 September, only to remove them the following day.
A US official said the document had been “temporarily rescinded to allow for updates”, but did not explain what needed changing.
Hegseth’s underlying programme has not been cancelled.
What Did The Guidance Propose?
Hegseth announced the initiative in July under the provocative banner “The High-T Department of War”, presenting hormone health as a way to improve strength, resilience and military readiness.
The withdrawn guidance would have incorporated hormone screening into annual health assessments.
Men aged 30 and older would have completed screening questions that could lead to testosterone blood tests and, where clinically appropriate, testosterone replacement therapy.
Younger men could also be assessed when symptoms suggested a possible deficiency.
Women would follow a different pathway, with clinicians screening for issues including fatigue, menstrual changes and relative energy deficiency in sport.
The guidance also included assessment for perimenopause and menopause where symptoms affected wellbeing or military duties.
Medical Experts Question Routine Screening
Testosterone treatment can be appropriate for people with a genuine clinical deficiency, but major endocrine organisations do not recommend routinely testing otherwise healthy, asymptomatic men simply because they reach a certain age.
The Endocrine Society recommends diagnosing hypogonadism only when a person has relevant symptoms alongside consistently low testosterone levels confirmed through appropriate testing.
Testosterone therapy also carries potential risks and requires medical monitoring.
Those concerns have raised questions about the scientific basis for introducing broad military-wide screening as a readiness initiative.
An Awkward Contrast With Trans Military Policy
The programme has also drawn attention because of the Trump administration’s dramatically different approach to hormone treatment when transgender people are involved.
The Pentagon is exploring testosterone screening and treatment for service members where clinicians identify hormonal deficiencies.
At the same time, the administration is attempting to remove many transgender people from military service and has argued that gender-affirming medical treatment can create an unacceptable burden on the armed forces.
Democratic congresswoman Pramila Jayapal highlighted that contrast when Hegseth first announced the programme.
“This, by the way, is gender-affirming care,” she said, using the comparison to criticise what she sees as a double standard in the administration’s approach to hormone treatment.
Hormone replacement for hypogonadism and gender-affirming hormone therapy have different clinical purposes, but both involve medically prescribed hormones — making the administration’s sharply different political treatment of the two difficult to ignore.
The ‘High-T’ Plan Is Still Alive
For now, the Pentagon says only the detailed September guidance has been temporarily withdrawn.
Interim instructions remain in effect and Hegseth’s broader plan to introduce hormone screening across the military has not been rescinded.
The Defence Department has not said when updated clinical guidance will be released or what changes it intends to make.
So the “High-T” military remains very much on the agenda — even if its rulebook lasted less than 24 hours.
