The head of the Junge Union, Johannes Winkel, has called for a return to compulsory military service as early as next January. Speaking to the newspapers of the Funke Media Group (Sunday editions), Winkel stated that the country has been debating years over a shortage of tens of thousands of soldiers in the Bundeswehr. He expressed doubt that sending questionnaires across the country and assessing them with excessive bureaucratic effort would impress Putin. Instead, he argued that the country needs the courage to make decisions, specifically proposing the reintroduction of mandatory military service starting on January 1, 2027. Furthermore, Winkel suggested that the energy and time currently spent reacting to every tweet from Trump should be redirected towards developing the nation’s own defense capabilities.