Cevat Çobanlı, born in Istanbul in 1871, was the son of Marshal Şakir Paşa. He completed his secondary education at Galatasaray High School in Istanbul and entered the War School on 19 June 1888, graduating in 1891 with the rank of second lieutenant. Çobanlı, who earned the right to continue his studies at the War Academy, graduated first in his class on 20 March 1894 as a staff captain. Cevat Çobanlı died on 16 March 1938; his remains were transferred from the Erenköy Sahra-yı Cedit Cemetery in Istanbul to the State Cemetery on 27 September 1988.

^{Orgeneral Cevat Çobanlı} (Millî Savunma Bakanlığı)

• Promoted to second lieutenant in 1891.
• Promoted to first lieutenant in 1892.
• Promoted to staff captain on 20 March 1894.
• Promoted to senior staff captain on 17 November 1894.
• Promoted to staff major on 13 May 1895.
• Promoted to staff lieutenant colonel on 27 January 1898.
• Promoted to staff colonel on 17 January 1900.
• Promoted to brigadier general (Mirliva) on 4 December 1901.
• Promoted to major general (Ferik) on 25 December 1906.
• His rank was reduced back to staff lieutenant colonel on 19 August 1909 due to a rank purge.
• Promoted to colonel for the second time on 29 September 1910.
• Promoted to major general (Mirliva) on 29 November 1914.
• Promoted to major general on 28 July 1918.
• Promoted to general on 30 August 1926.

Cevat Çobanlı’s military life was not only marked by promotions but also by critical assignments and participation in major wars.

• Appointed as Aide-de-Camp to the Sultan on 22 February 1894 and assigned to the Palace Staff.
• Assigned to oversee repairs of military buildings damaged by an earthquake on 17 November 1894.
• Traveled to Bulgaria with Şakir Paşa on 6 February 1899.
• Attended the Conference on the Limitation of Armaments in The Hague on 30 April 1899.
• Assigned to the ceremony marking the completion of the Hamidiye-Hijaz Railway from Damascus to Maan on 2 August 1904.
• Appointed to command the Second Army on 4 April 1907 and returned to Istanbul on 3 August 1907.
• Became Chief of Staff of the Inspectorate of the First Army on 15 January 1911.
• Assigned to the delegation sent to London for the coronation of the British King on 4 May 1911.
• Appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff on 27 July 1912 and returned to the Chief of Staff position of the Inspectorate of the First Army on 31 July 1912.

Cevat Çobanlı played an active role in many of the major conflicts during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

He did not participate directly in this war, as he was serving at headquarters at the time.

On 29 September 1912, he became Chief of Staff of the Eastern Army and later Chief of Staff of the Artillery Command of the Çatalca Army. On 4 February 1913, he was appointed commander of the 9th Division. While in this position, he twice served as chairman of the Ottoman-Bulgarian Boundary Commission.

One of his most important roles in this war was his appointment on 10 August 1914 as Commander of the Fortified Position of the Dardanelles. Upon assuming this post, he immediately worked to strengthen the defenses of the strait. He developed a plan advocating that the defense be conducted within the strait itself and reorganized artillery batteries that had been disbanded. He participated in both naval and land battles of the Dardanelles Campaign, which began on 3 November 1914. As Commander of the Fortified Position, Cevat Paşa ordered the mine-laying of the Karanlık Liman area by the Nusret minelayer. He played a particularly crucial role in the victory of the 18 March Dardanelles Victory.

He later continued serving as Commander of the Southern Group until the Allies evacuated the Dardanelles. On 18 November 1916, he was appointed commander of the 15th Corps; on 19 August 1917, he returned to command of the 14th Corps; on 8 November 1917, he assumed command of the 8th Army; on 24 November 1917, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the 2nd Army; and on 2 December 1917, he was again appointed commander of the 8th Army.

During the occupation of Istanbul, he was arrested by the British on 16 March 1920 and deported to Malta. He arrived in Mersin on 15 January 1922 aboard an Italian ship. In February 1922, he was appointed commander of the Elcezire Front.

^{Nusret Mayın Gemisi} (AA)

Following the Armistice of Mudros, he was appointed Chief of the General Staff on 3 November 1918. On 19 December 1918, he became Minister of War. On 14 May 1919, he was reappointed Chief of the General Staff. Although he resigned from this position in October 1919, he was again recalled to it.

He continued serving his country during the Republic era. On 21 October 1923, he served as Inspector of the Third Army and simultaneously as a Member of Parliament for Elazığ in the Second Term of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. His military command duties ended on 31 October 1924, and he continued as a parliamentarian. He resigned from his parliamentary seat in Elazığ on 25 December 1924 and was appointed as a member of the Military Council. On 7 January 1925, he served as a military advisor to the delegation sent to the League of Nations to discuss the Mosul Issue. On 28 November 1925, he again served as a military advisor to the delegation addressing the Türkiye-Iraq border issue. On 28 April 1927, he was appointed President of the Istanbul War Council. On 12 March 1928, he was sent as a representative to the conference in Geneva on the Reduction of Armaments.

• Silver Medal of Merit on 1 May 1895.
• Third Class Order of Mejidie on 5 July 1896.
• Order of Merit from the Prince of Bulgaria on 15 April 1899.
• Isabella the Catholic Order from the Spanish Government on 4 January 1904.
• Second Class Order of the Crown of Prussia from the German Government on 4 January 1904.
• Second Class Order of Alexander from the Bulgarian Government on 4 May 1911.
• Gold Combat Medal on 31 March 1915.
• First Class Iron Cross from the German Government on 14 April 1915.
• Second and First Class Iron Cross from the German Empire in 1915.
• Gold Medal of Combat Distinction on 17 January 1916.
• Second Class Order of the Red Eagle from the German Empire in 1916.
• Second Class Red Eagle Order with Swords and Star on 31 May 1917.
• German Second Class Red Crown Order.
• Second Class Iron Crown with War Decoration from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
• Second Class Military Merit Order with Swords and Star from the King of Bavaria on 7 July 1917.
• Second Class Iron Crown with War Decoration from the Austro-Hungarian Empire on 19 August 1917.
• First Class Order of Mejidie on 23 September 1917.
• First Class German Order of the Crown with Swords on 15 October 1917.
• First Class Order of the Red Crescent from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918.
• Awarded the Independence Medal with Red Ribbon on 29 August 1923.

He was highly proficient in French and German. Due to his broad cultural knowledge and military expertise, he participated in numerous international meetings and military exhibitions.

On 14 September 1935, while serving as a member of the Military Council, he retired on grounds of age. General Cevat Çobanlı died on 16 March 1938. His remains, originally buried in the Erenköy Sahra-yı Cedit Cemetery in Istanbul, were transferred to the State Cemetery on 27 September 1988.