New Delhi: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced a new annual testosterone screening program for military personnel aged 30 and above, saying the initiative is aimed at ensuring that soldiers can perform at their “best”.“The screening will become part of the Army’s mandatory annual medical examinations for service members age 30 and older. Personnel below 30 years of age will be allowed to come voluntarily for testing.In a video shared on social media, Hegseth said testosterone replacement therapy would be voluntary. “The screening is to ensure that our soldiers are performing at their ‘best’,” he said.Although Hegseth referred broadly to “soldiers”, the declaration appeared to be focused on male service members. The Pentagon chief said the program aims to keep troops “strong, resilient and capable”, adding that modern battlefields require “maximum psychological and mental preparation”.Hegseth stressed that the initiative is “not about artificial enhancement.”The announcement comes as the Trump administration pushes to expand access to testosterone replacement therapy. US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials have advocated making it easier for doctors to prescribe testosterone treatment.Medical experts say that testosterone levels naturally decrease with age and are linked to conditions such as erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, mood swings, and weight gain. However, they caution that testosterone therapy should only be prescribed after symptoms have been confirmed with persistently low hormone levels through two separate blood tests.Testosterone levels also fluctuate during the day, making a morning fasting blood test the most reliable method of diagnosis.Recent studies have shown that testosterone therapy can improve sexual health, muscle strength, and bone density in some men. Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed a warning linking testosterone therapy to the risk of heart attack and stroke.Still, current medical guidelines do not recommend routine testosterone testing for all men, the Associated Press reported.The announcement was criticized by Democratic lawmakers with military backgrounds. Iraq War veteran Senator Tammy Duckworth questioned the policy, saying that it “sounds like gender-affirming care to me,” referring to Hegseth’s opposition to transgender soldiers serving in the military.Air Force veteran representative Chrissy Houlahan said the decision “proves that Secretary Hegseth takes direction from the far corners of the manosphere.” Both lawmakers urged the Pentagon to make hormone screening available to both male and female service members.Hegseth had previously opposed women serving in combat roles, saying that such positions should be based on “the highest male standards”. Since taking over the Pentagon, he has also blocked some promotions involving women and made changes to military medical policies, including rescinding a long-standing flu vaccine mandate in April, citing “medical autonomy” and religious freedom.