Judge orders Hegseth to explain US military’s new testosterone policy

Court questions plan to offer male hormone treatment to cisgender troops while denying it to trans service members

Pete Hegseth's controversial plan to screen older soldiers for testosterone deficiencies and offer them more of the hormone faced scrutiny this week from a federal judge, who ordered the Trump administration to explain a discrepancy with the treatment of transgender troops.

The US defense secretary announced earlier this month that male service members aged 30 and above would be checked to ensure they have the right testosterone levels" to perform in the military at an optimal level.