It operated during the decline and dissolution of the empire, which roughly occurred between 1861 (though some sources date back to 1842) and 1918, the end of World War I for the Ottomans.

The Ottoman government considered adopting a Western-style headdress for all personnel within the army, but the fez was favoured as it was more suited to the postures of the Islamic ritual prayer.

After the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the Ottoman government searched for other role models, so German- and British-style uniforms became popular.

The shift from the Classical Army (1451–1606) took more than a century and began with the failed attempts of Selim III (r. 1789–1807) and Alemdar Mustafa Pasha (1789–1808),[2] continued through a period of Ottoman military reforms (1826–1858) and finally concluded during the reign of Abdul Hamid II (r. 1876–1909).

As early as 1880, Abdul Hamid sought German assistance, which he secured two years later, culminating in the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Otto Köhler.

[3][4] Although the consensus was that Abdul Hamid II favored the modernization of the Ottoman army and the professionalization of the officer corps, [when?]

During 1908, the second constitutional period, its structure included doctors, surgeons, veterinarians, pharmacists, dentists, chemists, wound-dressers and nurses.

[11] After the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War, Ottoman grand vizier Mehmed Said Pasha decided to establish a modern law enforcement organization, so a military mission was formed for the task.

[12] Unlike the British or the Germans, the Ottomans had no long service corps of professional non-commissioned officers, which was its weakest point.

They had operations, personnel, judiciary, supplies, secretariat, veterinary, documentation, artillery, engineering and post divisions.

During this period, not based on chronological order, the corps that were established were I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXV, Iraq Area, Halil, I Kaf., II Kaf., Hejaz Fortified zones had the same departments of divisions.

During this period the fortified zones that were established were Dardanelles, Bosporus, Chataldja, Adrianople, Smyrna, Erzurum, and Kars.

After completion of the War Academy, graduates were advanced in grade over their non-graduate contemporaries and immediately assigned to key billets in the army.

Before the Second Constitutional Era, the Sultan and his high-ranking staff officers performed the main planning and activity of the Ministry of War, which was established in 1826.

Ahmed Izzet Pasha, who became the chief of general staff on August 15, 1908, was aware of the urgent need of this institution to be reformed.

Ahmed Izzet Pasha's work produced good results and he managed to provide a better and much more efficient structure for the General Staff.

During the course of the World War, the Ottoman General Staff had seven departments: operations, intelligence, railroads, education, military history, personnel and documentation.

The World War I Ottoman logistics system was a pipeline that moved men and supplies from rear areas to forward stations and further distribution to front-line corps and infantry divisions.

Increased need required the army to build up its labor services, which did transfer resources from allocated units to combat to sustain the front.

Princes (by birth) and important statesmen (by position) were considered officers even though they had not received military training or worked through ranks.

Its formation was a part of the military reforms within the Ottoman Empire as it recognized the need for more educated officers to modernize its army.

As part of the reorganization efforts of the Ottoman Army, new arrangements were implemented in 1866 for the Staff College and other Military Schools.

After all instructors and students went to Anatolia to join the National War of Independence, the Staff College was closed down.

After defeat from Russia in the war of 1877–78, the Ottoman's reform process began with a fundamental revision: the German military system replaced the French one.

[23][24] Germany considered an Ottoman-Russian war to be imminent, and Liman von Sanders was a general with excellent knowledge of the Russian armed forces.

About the same time, General Otto Liman von Sanders, was nominated to the command of the German 1st Army, the largest on the European side.

This is what the caption of one slide reads (on the right):One officer was left, who made to the grave-diggers and spectators a speech of moving simplicity.

"Brothers," he said, "Here are men of every nation – Turks, Albanians, Greeks, Bulgarians, Jews; but they died together, on the same day, fighting under the same flag.

(Istanbul (Danube) (Bulgaria) (Anatolia) (Syria) 6 camel squadrons (Baghdad) (Yemen) In 1908, the First Army was in Constantinople and the Bosporus, and there were also units in Europe and Asia Minor.

[27] The Second Army headquarters was established in Adrianople, its operational area included Thrace and the Dardanelles, and it had units in Europe and Asia Minor.