Serbian Armed Forces The Serbian Armed Forces ( ) are the armed forces of Serbia . The Armed Forces consist of the Serbian Army ( including the River Flotilla ) , the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence and the Serbian Training Command . The Commander - in - Chief of the Armed Forces is the President of the Republic . The Serbian Armed Forces are entirely professional and volunteer based . History . The first documented Serbian military operation dates to the 9th century when Vlastimir defended the Serbian Principality from the invading Bulgarian Khanate . Over the following centuries Serbia would evolve into the Serbian Empire , one of the largest states in Europe at the time . Moravian Serbia was governed by Stefan Lazarević who introduced modern military tactics and firearms to his army , however the new technology failed to defeat the superior numbers of the Ottoman Empire . The Ottomans had suppressed the formation of a Serbian state along with its military from 1540 until 1804 , the year of the first Serbian uprising . The 1804 Serbian Revolution , started with a Serbian rebellion against the Ottoman occupation of Serbia . The victories in the battles of Ivankovac , Mišar , Deligrad and Belgrade , led to the establishment of the Principality of Serbia in 1817 . The subsequent Second Serbian Revolution led to full recognition of Serbian independence , establishment of the Kingdom of Serbia and weakened the Ottoman dominance in the Balkans . In 1885 Serbia had a war against Bulgaria . In the 1912 - 1913 First Balkan War , ( Serbia , Greece , Montenegro and Bulgaria ) against the Ottoman Empire . The victories in the Battle of Kumanovo , Battle of Prilep , Battle of Monastir , Battle of Adrianople , Siege of Scutari helped win the war . The Third Army conquered Kosovo . In 1913 the second Balkan war broke out because Bulgaria , dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War , attacked its former allies , Serbia and Greece , Bulgaria has suffered great losses by Serbia in the Battle of Battle of Bregalnica , the war was over by the Bulgarian defeat and signed the Treaty of Bucharest ( 1913 ) . Serbia ' s independence and growing influence threatened neighboring Austria - Hungary which lead to the Bosnian crisis of 1908 - 1909 . Consequently , since 1901 , all Serbian males between the ages of 21 to 46 were liable for general mobilization . In 1914 , Austria - Hungary declared war on Serbia , following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria , marking the start of the First World War . Serbia repelled 3 consecutive invasions by Austria , winning the first major victories of the war for the Allies , but was eventually overwhelmed by the combined forces of the Central Powers . Organisation . The Serbian General Staff is composed of the highest - ranking officers who form the basic strategic command . The Chief of Staff is Lieutenant General Ljubiša Diković . Tactical and operational command is separated into the branches , consisting of the Army , Air Force and Air Defence , and a Serbian Training Command . Reserves . Although Serbia abolished conscription on 1 January 2011 , it still maintains a " passive reserve " of about 1 , 7 million people with males ages 30 – 60 and females 18 - 50 . Only about 10 % ( 170 , 000 ) are distributed to combat - ready units . The " active reserve " numbers about 20 , 000 members , divided into four brigade s mainly under the training command . Budget and defence industry . Serbia ' s defence spending in 2011 stood at approximately 2 . 3 % of GDP . The 2013 defense budget has allocated about 3 . 8 billion dinars for purchasing new and upgrading existing military equipment . To promote efficient use of funds , the " Strategic Defence Review " has helped eliminate redundant services , withdrawal of outdated equipment , increase maneuverability and decrease response time . The number of active personnel has been significantly reduced from pre - 2004 levels . As of 2011 , over 90 % of the armed forces are composed of professional soldiers and volunteers . Serbia is the largest exporter and producer of military hardware in the region . Exports totaled US $ $ 400 million in 2009 . Peacekeeping . The Serbian Armed Forces actively take part in several United Nations and European Union peacekeeping missions .