I'm willing to have my mind changed by sensible arguments, but I currently think it's a good idea to test them and weed out the losers. Granted, they’ll lose around half their men these days, but it needs to be addressed.
First, on the matter of training and selection, if they are using it during that phase, they are cheating. The training is designed to break everyone down to the same physical condition and push them to the limits of endurance. They are trying to select a very small number of like-minded individuals who have the mental fortitude to keep going under any circumstances. Someone using steroids to get through is doing himself and all the other guys a disservice and he can't be relied upon. He lacks integrity by deliberately cheating the system, and he's using performance enhancers to gain an unfair physical and mental advantage over the rest of the team. If you're sneaking testosterone shots and popping Adderall to do what countless others have done without that stuff, then you don’t belong there in the first place.
As for using it once they're in their unit, it's really less of a moral issue and more about practicality. Firstly, unless it's literally doctor-prescribed to treat low testosterone, you don't need it. Older guys with wear and tear, fine, probably makes sense. Bloody Hollywood has convinced every young guy that they need to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger; most people using steroids in the military are doing so out of ego and to look like some idealized, character version of themselves. Big muscles and soldiering do not go together. This cultural obsession with steroids needs to change.
Secondly, what is going to happen to the individuals who are deployed for months on end and can't get resupplied? Are they going to be an effective member of the team when their hormones suddenly crash, and they're feeling emotionally volatile and lethargic? What are the effects of certain androgenic compounds on a man's psyche when he's exposed to extreme trauma? I don't know, but I’d like to if I’m going to be around someone who might be at an increased risk of suffering a mental breakdown. What about in the jungle, where you don't even shave for risk of infection? Sticking needles in your ass in those environments is asking for an abscess, and once again risking the operational capacity of the team. You’re there to do a job. Don't like it? Fuck off. Do as much drugs as you like when you're a civilian.
As for recovering from injury, I think there’s space to explore the use of performance enhancers and steroids. I could see the use of HGH and similar things being very helpful, but it should be under doctor supervision and not some guy dosing himself in his room with Chinese bath tub shit. Same for certain combat situations: I can accept some scenarios where it might be a huge benefit to have certain compounds issued, but it should be after controlled testing has taken place, and the drugs are being sourced from a pharmacy.
