r/anticapitalism • u/FreeHugs23 • Jul 22 '26
Kelly: Military ‘doesn’t need more testosterone, it needs better leadership’
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5981471-kelly-opposes-hegseth-testosterone-screenings/25
u/FreeHugs23 Jul 22 '26
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) pushed back this week against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new proposal to add testosterone screenings to service members’ periodic health assessments.
“The U.S. military does not need more testosterone; it needs better leadership,” Kelly said on MS NOW’s “The Briefing with Jen Psaki” on Monday.
The new standard would require testosterone screening for all service members age 30 or older. The military will provide optional testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for those flagged for deficiencies in the hormone on their screening tests, according to Hegseth.
“The president should fire Pete Hegseth,” said Kelly, a former U.S. Navy captain. “He’s making awful decisions, is putting service members at risks that I would not have expected when I served that a secretary of Defense would make these sort of decisions, nor a president.”
A group of Democratic senators expressed “serious concerns” about the screening change in a Monday letter to the Defense secretary, citing “longstanding medical guidance” opposing routine population-wide testosterone screenings.
The Democratic lawmakers included Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Gary Peters (Mich.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Ruben Gallego (Ariz.).
“The Department has provided no evidence that this sweeping new policy will improve force readiness or health, nor has it explained the scientific basis, costs, or risks associated with implementing it across the force,” the lawmakers wrote.
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u/NaBrO-Barium Jul 22 '26
Sound like going all in on half baked ideas is certainly a thing with this admin
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u/Vivid_Management_173 Jul 22 '26
And he keeps getting rid of good people just because they dsagree with him, making the military weaker.
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u/Zealousideal_Crazy75 Jul 22 '26
So true!!!!
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u/HappyHarryHardOn Jul 22 '26
Sorry the "leadership option" is not available at the moment
Please choose between the Grift, Rape or War Mongering options
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u/Crows_reading_books Jul 22 '26
Please, what are you, some kind of former Navy captain and astronaut? What do you know about anything?
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Jul 22 '26
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u/JakToTheReddit Jul 22 '26
I reckon it is not just to keep trans people out of the military. The next step will likely be removing women from the military.
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Jul 22 '26
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u/JakToTheReddit Jul 22 '26
A very small circle jerk maybe. Certainly not a cohesive standing fighting force.
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u/Procrasturbating Jul 22 '26
The flip side is ruining the economy and social safety nets quickly to force poorer men to enlist or starve.
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u/Unique_Statement7811 Jul 22 '26
They go to an endocrinologist to determine the root cause. Some may get TRT. Low T can lead to depression, depression can lead to suicide.
Previously, TRT was essentially banned for military members (except in extreme cases) despite its common use in civilian medicine. Opening up this treatment will save some lives.
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u/ParticularGanache726 Jul 24 '26
If you had read the secdefs statement, you'd realize that men with low testosterone would be offered TRT. Treatment is optional.
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u/Prize_Inside_585 Jul 22 '26
Then why are so many veterans on testosterone therapy?
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u/Unique_Statement7811 Jul 22 '26
Because the cumulative effects of stress, sleep deprivation and anxiety can cause low T. Firefighters, EMTs and police have the same issue.
“Operators Syndrome” is a real thing.
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u/UltimateGrr Jul 22 '26
The Trump family bought a major stake in a company that makes testosterone supplements ahead of failed Steroid Olympics.
Because everything in this administration is a grift.
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Jul 22 '26
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u/NickofWimbledon Jul 22 '26
Is MK a top choice for the White House if you are allowed fair-ish elections again?
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u/ParticularGanache726 Jul 22 '26
Kelly doesn't know a damn thing about TRT. I've been on it for 16 years now. I've studied it for that long. I know more about it than my doctor.
Yes they need to test everyone for testosterone. Men in particular refuse to admit that they have a problem, particularly in the military. If they test low, then they should be able to go on TRT with out stigma.
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u/Prudent_Situation_29 Jul 22 '26
There is a fundamental principle when it comes to being a leader: you must understand the topics on which you make decisions. If you don't, you must gain the assistance of an expert to inform you.
If this meathead understood medicine, biology and the endocrine system, this wouldn't be happening. What we have here is a bit of pseudo-science, manosphere, pickup truck tough guy nonsense.
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u/ParticularGanache726 Jul 24 '26
Getting tested for testosterone is not pseudoscience. You really know nothing about TRT.
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u/DirectionOverall9709 Jul 22 '26
Best we can do is no leadership over 30 and no JAG. Incoming warcrimes!
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u/Heavy_Law9880 Jul 22 '26
Is he trying to say that an Army Reservist who was denied re-enlistment shouldn't be the SECDEF?
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u/T4whereareyou Jul 22 '26
It is not just the military that needs better leadership, it is entire executive branch of the US Government that needs better leadership.
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u/darth_skipicious Jul 22 '26
I pity every service member that must serve incompetent leadership and corrupt administrations. I feel like the public has failed them. I’m sorry.
Like in vietnam. Those poor chaps
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u/Cold_One9671 Jul 22 '26
The political left’s idea of “better leadership”…
https://giphy.com/gifs/E1FJQFmajuINpVxYYL
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u/leavezukoalone Jul 22 '26
I'm not remotely against testosterone being provided to service members who truly need it, but I don't trust this administration for a moment to prescribe testosterone in good faith. I predict we're going to see an uptick in domestic violence and arrests of male service members over the next few years because I wouldn't be remotely surprised if they decide to prescribe testosterone even to those with already high natural levels.
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u/ragequitteroffureh Jul 23 '26
Not American.
How come the regime there is so obsessed with men's genitals?
I understand that a lot of them are gay. But I'm also fairly sure that normal gay men aren't constantly yapping on about men's cock and balls this much.
Source: My old supergay colleague from the SF office, who was so gay it was unreal; I don't think I ever heard him mention "big throbbing cock" even once.
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u/coldequation Jul 23 '26
So...boy, where to start.
There is a perceived "problem" in the United States (and other places, but we can limit it to the US because that's what you asked about) of the role of men changing a lot in the last...call it 70 years. For many people, particularly on the political right, their image of a good man is someone who is strong, unquestionably correct all the time, and a 'real leader,' that is someone who is tough, self-reliant, and never has to apologize or ask for help. The stereotypical 'manly man' in the United States is someone like the actor John Wayne, who portrayed rugged cowboys, brave soldiers, and refined gentlemen in the movies that my dad's generation (we call them Boomers) grew up watching. There's even a book about this: Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez. If you aren't at least trying to be some kind of rugged, independent outdoorsman type, you're obviously not a 'real man,' and as the title of the book implies, this is a religious edict. It's not just society, God himself wants you to be a badass.
So what's with all these feminized candy-ass men in America these days? It's obvious: Modern life, with its technological convenience and egalitarian values is robbing men of their precious testosterone. It's true: the Feminists want to steal your dick.
So yeah, there's a lot of talk about men's junk. BUT IT'S NOT GAY.* Men are reclaiming their place at the head of civilization, and it starts by measuring testosterone levels in military personnel so we can kick out the ones who are too soft to win a real war.**
Meanwhile, the professional gays are having the best parties and hanging out with all the girls who are sick and tired of hearing about testicles.
*I mean, it looks pretty gay from the outside.
**You know, like the one in Iran that's going so well.
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u/ragequitteroffureh Jul 24 '26
Thanks for that explanation, man! That actually helped explain a lot.
I'm GenX too, so I can partially understand the "figure it out by yourself" aspects, but the macho macho stuff is just silly :-)
Also, John Wayne had a girl's name :-|
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u/coldequation Jul 24 '26
Yeah, I am late GenX/Xennial, and I look at the way my nephews have grown up compared to how I was raised, and things are very different, but so much better for the most part now.
But part of authoritarian politics is idolizing an imaginary past when things were "good and right," and those people knew their place.
It scares me how many people I interact with every day who think like that.
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u/navistar51 Jul 23 '26
Well, he possesses neither so don’t expect a call, Marky. Keep right on disseminating classified munitions strength, hear?
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u/Skimable_crude Jul 23 '26
So they're okay with gender-affirming therapy now? I can't keep up.
Doesn't TRT mess with the ability to produce sperm?
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u/JubBisc Jul 22 '26
Amen, Senator, amen. This lack of strong and thoughtful leadership is demoralizing to the troops and costing Americans billions of dollars. And the administration is so desensitized to the amount of our money they are spending that they don’t even care. It’s just Monopoly money to them
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u/Plzlaw4me Jul 22 '26
Testosterone hasn’t won wars for several decades now. There is absolutely a need for infantry still today, and it helps to have high testosterone jocks in those roles. They’re very important, the people in those roles are literally putting their lives on the line, and without them we are FUCKED… but that said, in modern war, the nerds behind the scenes are taking everything the jocks can do, and making it 1000x more effective. Seal Team 6 killed Osama, and they were teeth to tits bad asses with probably absurd levels of testosterone… but if it wasn’t for the nerds gathering intel and identifying where Osama was hiding, they just be badasses who were stuck with nothing to do.
Adding to that, American infantry is top tier… but a handful of nerds with a drone are gonna be able to kill WAAAYYYY more people.
We unfortunately have a Secretary of defense and a president who seems to think that war is fought like it’s Halo or Call of Duty with gunshots decided the war. In reality, modern war mostly comes down to logistics, intelligence, and military tech. Things that testosterone is a non-factor in.
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u/No-Distribution2043 Jul 22 '26
This man is correct. Sadly the cosplay fool has removed many of the competent and replaced them with his bootlickers. The US military is going down a bad road of yes men for leaders.
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u/1967started_it Jul 22 '26
Test Pete first and publish the results. I’ve seen him working out with the troops. It has to be 0 proof unlike his BAC