The article discovers the features of elaborating and implementing the military reforms and shows the personal contribution of War Minister D.A. Milyutin to the military modernization of Russian army. The article is based on archive materials, Milyutins's memoirs and memoirs of the other statesmen and public figures. The author shows the procedure of committee work on the draft legislation. Main attention is paid to elaborating and framing the Recruit Statute and adopting the Compulsory Military Service Statute. Several examples illustrated resistance to reforms by the contradictors.