In the era of trumptosterone, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that annual testosterone tests will be conducted on soldiers and treatment will be offered to those with low hormone levels. The tests will be mandatory for those over 30 years old and voluntary for younger ones.
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As Hegseth explained in a video on the social network X, the goal is “to ensure that you have the correct testosterone levels to operate at the maximum of your capabilities. (…) Our most decisive tactical advantage will always be the individual warrior,” so “we must constantly seek new ways to optimize your performance, your endurance, and your long-term health.”
Annual testosterone tests will hardly improve the United States Army. But they consolidate the ideology of the Trump Administration that defends that men are more capable than women for multiple activities, not just those of the Army. It goes beyond machismo; it is male supremacism.
Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reported that he personally takes testosterone supplements and that Donald Trump has “the highest testosterone level I have ever seen in a person over 70 years old.” Elon Musk, for his part, wrote on the social network X that “a republic of high-status men is best for decision-making” in response to a user who had pointed out that high-testosterone alpha men were more capable than women and other men.
It is true that a testosterone deficiency can cause loss of muscle mass, loss of bone density with the consequent risk of fractures, anemia, or sexual dysfunction, among other health problems. It is a minority disorder, called male hypogonadism, for which the so-called testosterone replacement therapy is indicated.
But this does not mean that the higher the testosterone level, the better. In fact, an excess of testosterone is also associated with health problems. Among them, infertility, testicular atrophy, hypertension, thrombosis, and the consequent risk of pulmonary embolisms, strokes, myocardial infarctions, and premature mortality.
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Between deficiency and excess, there is a wide range of normal physiological testosterone levels that vary according to individuals and fluctuate in each person. For example, testosterone levels rise when winning a soccer match and decrease when losing. It is high in men seeking to mate but decreases when they have children, which is attributed to a change in biological priorities: the body stops dedicating so much energy to finding a partner to dedicate more to family care.
With the reduction of testosterone after fatherhood, aggressiveness decreases, but not strength or productivity. A study of 122 farmers in Poland has observed in this regard that those who have children also have more muscle mass and more strength despite having lower testosterone levels; according to the researchers’ interpretation, they are stronger because they work more.
No medical society recommends testosterone testing like the one announced by Pete Hegseth for men aged 30, an age at which the prevalence of male hypogonadism is around 1%. Even for older men, where prevalence increases to around 10% at age 70, testing is recommended if hypogonadism is suspected, but not indiscriminately for the entire male population.
If testosterone level is not decisive for strength or performance as long as it remains within the normal range, as suggested by the Polish study, the tests announced by Hegseth will not increase the military capabilities of the United States. In the era of drones and AI, the intelligence of soldiers matters more than their muscle mass and aggressiveness, and testosterone neither increases nor decreases intelligence. But if Hegseth prioritizes intelligence, it will be harder for him to defend that men are superior to women.
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