Overview

• On ZDF’s Markus Lanz, CSU leader Markus Söder urged reinstating the Wehrpflicht to quickly expand the Bundeswehr and bolster deterrence against threats such as Russia.
• Seventeen-year-old Otto Ellerbrock rejected mandatory armed service, arguing young people are already strained by costs and saying he would refuse weapons duty but serve the country in other ways.
• Defence Minister Boris Pistorius favors building personnel through a voluntary-service model, while Union politicians press for a draft that remains permitted under Article 12a despite suspension since 2011.
• A Focus Online analysis of reader comments showed polarization, with 29% criticizing perceived lack of youth responsibility and 26% openly supporting the draft proposal.
• An opinion piece in WELT proposed a generation-spanning Pflichtzeit of two years split before career entry and after retirement as a fairness-focused alternative to youth-only conscription.