STD Screening and Policy in the Military

HIV testing is required at entry into military service and periodically throughout a service member's career as part of routine medical readiness screening. Other STD screening is generally handled similarly to civilian care — as part of routine health maintenance or in response to specific symptoms or concerns — through military treatment facilities.

A positive STD diagnosis doesn't typically end someone's military career on its own — treatable bacterial infections are managed the same way they would be in civilian care. HIV-positive status has historically involved more complex policy considerations around deployment and career progression, and this area has seen meaningful policy evolution over recent years; anyone with specific questions about their own situation is better served by their unit's medical or personnel office than by general information here, since policy specifics change and vary by branch and circumstance.