The Pentagon on Thursday released new clinical guidelines for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s military testosterone screening program, just two weeks after suddenly pulling an earlier version that included hormone guidance for female service members. Those provisions are missing from the replacement.
Hegseth first announced the initiative on July 15, ordering mandatory testosterone deficiency screenings for service members aged 30 and older as part of their periodic health assessments. Troops under 30 can also ask to be screened.
When he rolled out the program, Hegseth said it was “not about artificial enhancement.” Instead, he described it as a way of restoring and optimizing the natural capability of troops, protecting their longevity and ensuring they have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight.
The Pentagon followed up on Sept. 2 with detailed instructions for medical providers. Those rules went beyond testosterone testing for men, directing clinicians to ask female troops about issues such as disrupted menstrual cycles and fatigue as possible signs of hormonal dysregulation.
But the guidelines disappeared from the Pentagon’s website the following day.
A U.S. official told ABC News the guidance had been “temporarily rescinded to allow for updates.” Tim Parlatore, a senior adviser to Hegseth, later told CNN it had been posted “inadvertently” and had not been approved for release.
Parlatore said the Pentagon had to pull the document back because officials needed “a lot more input” to make sure the information reflected current science, “as opposed to certain antiquated protocols.”
The replacement guidance issued Thursday is notably narrower than the Sept. 2 version. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell titled his new statement “Clinical Guidance for Testosterone Deficiency in the Male Service Member” and said the guidance “addresses male testosterone deficiency.” According to Parnell, it establishes standardized screening and treatment procedures across the military health system.
The earlier guidance concerning female service members is no longer mentioned.
Parnell wrote that by proactively identifying and treating suboptimal hormone levels, the department continues to invest in the health of its warfighters, strengthen their performance and maximize force readiness.
To recap the sequence of events: Hegseth announced the screening program on July 15. The Pentagon issued detailed provider instructions on Sept. 2, including questions for female troops about menstrual disruptions and fatigue. The guidance was gone from the Pentagon’s website the following day, with one official saying it was temporarily rescinded and Parlatore saying it was posted inadvertently. On Thursday, the Pentagon put out the narrower replacement.
Under the program as announced, screenings are mandatory for service members aged 30 and older as part of their periodic health assessments, while younger troops may request them. The new guidance, according to Parnell, sets standardized procedures for screening and treatment across the military health system, and it makes no mention of the provisions for female service members that appeared in the earlier version.
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