Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hôtel de la Marine in Paris is an emblematic building located in the 7th arrondissement, on Place de la Concorde. Although its name evokes a maritime vocation, it has mostly housed institutions related to National Defence. Originally, the Ministry of the Navy and the Ministry of War were separate, heirs to the State Secretariats of the Old Regime. These two entities were often associated with the Colonial Ministry, reflecting the administrative organization of pre-revolutionary and imperial France.

In 1791, the Ministry of War was officially created to lead the French Army, succeeding the State Secretariat of War. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Marine, heir to the State Secretariat of the same name, manages maritime and colonial affairs. These ministries evolved over the course of the reforms, notably with the creation of a State Subsecretariat for Military Aeronautics in 1915, which became the Ministry of Air in 1928. These changes illustrate the adaptation of state structures to technological innovations and strategic needs.

In 1948, a major reform merged the Department of War, the Department of Navy and the Department of Air into a "Department of National Defence". The latter, sometimes renamed, became the "Ministry of the Army" in 1958, under the Fifth Republic. Despite these changes, the Hotel de Brienne, located near the Hotel de la Marine, has remained the seat of the Minister of the Armed Forces since 1807. The Hotel de la Marine, for its part, embodies the architectural and political heritage of these institutions, although its exact role in this history is not detailed in the sources.

The Hotel de Brienne, next to the Hotel de la Marine, has been the seat of the Minister of the Army for more than two centuries. This building, like the Hotel de la Marine, symbolizes the continuity of French military institutions. In 2015, the staffs were transferred to the Hexagone Balard in the 15th arrondissement, but the minister of the army maintained his seat at the Hotel de Brienne. This decision emphasizes attachment to historic sites, despite administrative modernizations.

The Ministry of the Army, now headed by Catherine Vautrin since October 2025, maintains a dual mission: preparing defence policy and supervising the armed forces. The Hotel de la Marine, although less mentioned in recent reforms, remains a symbol of French administrative and military heritage. Its history is part of that of the Regalian ministries, alongside those of the interior, justice or foreign affairs, which have structured the state for centuries.

Future

Starting in 2015, the high command of the Navy left the premises for those of the new site that the Ministry of Defence built Porte de Sèvres, in the 15th arrondissement, intended to consolidate all civilian and military services of National Defence.

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