German Imperial Naval Office

The Imperial Naval Office (German: Reichsmarineamt—RMA) was a government agency of the German Empire. It was established in April 1889, when the German Imperial Admiralty was abolished and its duties divided among three new entities: the Imperial Naval High Command (Kaiserliches Oberkommando der Marine), the Imperial Naval Cabinet (Kaiserliches Marinekabinett) and the Imperial Naval Office performing the functions of a ministry for the Imperial German Navy.

Managed by a state secretary, the RMA oversaw administrative aspects of the navy, including construction of new ships and maintenance of existing vessels. In 1897, Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz became the state secretary of the RMA, and he used the position to push through major construction programs through the German Naval Laws. While he succeeded in creating a large battle fleet, the High Seas Fleet, this set Germany on a path toward confrontation with Britain, then the world's preeminent naval power. This eventually resulted in conflict during World War I in 1914.