Until 1912, he served in various officer ranks of the
Ottoman Army.
Balkan War He was appointed commander of the 3rd Company of the Akhisar Battalionin the
Çatalca Army on 28 November 1912, and was stationed at the
Çatalca position during the
First Balkan War (8 October 1912 – 30 May 1913). On 14 August 1914, he was appointed Commander of the 2nd Company of the 1st Battalion in the III Corps'
27th Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of senior captain on 1 September 1914, and subsequently appointed to the Staff of the III Corps on 18 September 1914.
World War I While he was on this duty,
Ottoman Empire entered into World War I on 29 October 1914. He was promoted to the rank of major on 12 July 1915, and on 21 November 1915, with his staff commission approved, he was appointed as the Commander of the 1st Battalion of the
57th Infantry Regiment. While on this duty, he was promoted to the rank of staff major on 12 July 1915. In 1916, he was appointed as the deputy commander of the 21st Regiment in
Anafarta, as the Chief of Staff of the
2nd Army's
II Corps on 20 June 1916, and as the Chief of Staff of the 48th Division on 12 May 1918.
Turkish War of Independence During the
Turkish War of Independence, he became the deputy commander of the 7th Mounted Infantry Division on 10 November 1920, and in December 1920, he became the chief of staff of the Southern Front Command. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on 1 March 1921, and subsequently became the commander of the 6th Division, then the commander of the Organized Division in the
Battle of the Sakarya (23 August – 13 September 1921), and the commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division on 17 September 1921. He was promoted to the rank of staff colonel on 31 August 1922. The 2nd Cavalry Division under his command
entered and liberated the
Greek-occupied İzmir as the first Turkish force on 9 September 1922.
Republic era Following the
Proclamation of the Republic of Turkey (29 October 2023), he was appointed Director of the 1st Branch of the General Staff on 27 December 1923, and General Commander of the
Gendarmerie on 6 June 1924. He was promoted to brigadier general on 30 August 1927. He was appointed commander of the 15th Division on 2 January 1930, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division on 18 March 1930, commander of the 57th Division on 13 February 1931, then commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, member of the Military Court of Appeals on 19 May 1932, and chief of staff of the 1st Army Inspectorate on 1 January 1933. He retired due to disability on 17 December 1934. Major General Ahmet Zeki Soydemir was awarded various medals and decorations by the Ottoman Empire and Afghanistan, and the
Medal of Independence by the
Grand National Assembly of Turkey. == Civilian life and death ==