Pete Hegseth's War

Susan Estrich on Jul 23, 2026

So far, the number is $37.5 billion. That's how much we've spent so far on the war against Iran.

What have we got to show for it, other than lost American lives?

What could we do with that money at home?

I'm not even up to those questions yet, because $37.5 is just the start of the story. The administration has also requested up to $90 billion in additional funding related to the conflict, much of it for military operations, munitions, and equipment replenishment. That request is separate from the $37.5 billion already spent.

And neither of those requests takes into account the broader economic costs, including higher fuel prices, supply chain effects, and long-term veterans' care. Those expenses could ultimately be much higher than the direct military spending on the war.

In terms of what we have to show for it or will have, the other big news out of the Pentagon last week is that we'll be building a High-T military. Warrior-in-Chief Pete Hegseth announced that the Defense Department will test the testosterone levels of service members 30 and older and offer voluntary testosterone replacement therapy to those with low testosterone levels.

"We must constantly look for new ways to optimize your performance, your resilience and your long-term health," Hegseth said of the country's military in a video on X that was entitled "The High-T Department of War."

Is this just another effort to rid the military of the presence of transgender soldiers willing to give their lives for this country?

Put aside the health critics for a few minutes (Hegseth clearly put them aside completely) and just consider what it says about Hegseth's vision of an ideal warrior force. If High-T is the standard and measure, then where are women in the picture? The answer, of course, is what Hegseth has been demonstrating in his pattern of promotions, with their dwindling numbers of women. They aren't part of his vision. He has said as much. We should take him at his word. And here we have his deed. How about providing comprehensive reproductive care for women of childbearing age before we start them on testosterone testing and therapy?

But women are not the only invisible soldiers in Hegseth's army. Consider the limits on beards. As Jon Duffy tells the story in the Los Angeles Times, Hegseth reportedly became angry after seeing sailors with facial hair aboard a Navy ship. The Navy requires sailors to be clean-shaven unless they've been given a medical waiver. Pentagon officials were told that Hegseth was closely watching the services' progress on grooming rules. Weeks later, the Navy announced a new policy limiting medical shaving waivers to a maximum of 12 months. Sailors whose qualifying skin condition hasn't cleared by then can be pushed out through administrative separation, a discharge process that doesn't require a court-martial.

Now, here's the punch line. Who qualifies for medical waivers? As Jon Duffy, himself a retired Navy captain, writes, "the condition behind most shaving waivers, pseudofolliculitis barbae, occurs when shaved hairs curl back into the skin, causing painful inflammation, lesions and sometimes permanent scarring. It can affect anyone with tightly curled facial hair, but studies estimate it can affect up to 83% of Black men. For many white service members, the clean-shaven standard means a few minutes with a razor each morning. For Black men with PFB, it means repeatedly injuring their skin or seeking an accommodation their defense secretary treats publicly as evidence of collapsing standards."

And how many Black officers do you see in those promotion pictures? In his search for mini-me warriors who look like a younger (and idealized) version of him, Hegseth is building a military that looks less and less like America. He's doing so at great cost, figuratively and literally.

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