During the first half of the nineteenth century, a large number of Austrian officers joined the Serbian army. This phenomena was influenced by the geographical factor, because the Habsburg nation was located in proximity of the Principality of Serbia, as well as other important factors. Above all, it was the national identity of ethnic Serb, Croat, and Czech officers in the Habsburg Monarchy who wanted to help Serbia in the fight for independence. Officers from Austria and Prussia contributed greatly to the Serbian Army victories in the Serb‐Turkish Wars (1876‐1878). Those who remained in Serbia after the war easily fit into the officer corps of the Serbian Army. King Milan, who relied on Austria‐Hungary in foreign policy, contributed to the ability of “Austrian officers” to occupy important positions in the Serbian Army. The foreign officers who mostly came from the Austrian Army formed a special group in the Serbian officer corps. They stood out from the other officers with the knowledge, culture, and tradition they had acquired during their education and service in the Austrian Army. Much of the Prussian military theory and practice was introduced into the Serbian Army through Austrian military doctrine and officers from the Habsburg Monarchy. As a result, they played a significant role in the modernization process of the Serbian Army in the second half of the nineteenth century. After the war with Bulgaria in 1885, and especially after the abdication of King Milan in 1889, the influence of officers from the Habsburg Monarchy and Prussia in the Serbian Army gradually diminished and declined.