Topic: Franz Josef Jung

Franz Josef Jung (born 5 March 1949) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He became Federal Minister of Defence in the Grand coalition cabinet of Angela Merkel on 22 November 2005. In October 2009 he became Minister of Labour and Social Affairs but resigned a month later.

After his military service, Franz Josef Jung studied law at the University of Mainz and is a lawyer and civil law notary. In his political career, he held various party functions in Hesse (currently as vice chairman of the CDU there) and also served as a state minister.

In September 2007 he sparked a debate by his controversial assertion to shoot down jetliners in the case of a terrorist attack on Germany. Several politicians of the opposition parties as well as politicians from the SPD, especially Reinhard Bütikofer and Kurt Beck, described his move as "unconstitutional" and called for his resignation.