Rob Bauer


Robert Peter "Rob" Bauer is a lieutenant admiral in the Royal Netherlands Navy serving as Chief of Defence since 5 October 2017. He was Vice Chief of Defence of the Armed forces of the Netherlands from 1 September 2015 until 13 July 2017. After the resignation of Tom Middendorp, he became Chief of Defence.

Background

He entered the Royal Netherlands Navy through the Royal Naval College in 1981 until commissioned as a naval commander in 1984. He also completed the Advanced Staff Course in 1998.
He commanded the HNLMS De Ruyter in 2005-2007, his command also includes the operational deployment in the Mediterranean with the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 as part of the NATO Response Force. He was deployed in Bahrain in 2006 as the Deputy Commander of Task Force 150 in the Operation Enduring Freedom. He also commanded the HNLMS Johan de Witt in 2010-2011.
He was promoted to commodore in 2011 and appointed as Deputy Director of Plans for Operational Policy and Innovation, focusing on the future defense fields of The Netherlands. In 2012, he was promoted to rear admiral and appointed as Director of Plans. He was also a member of the Council for Defence Research and Development, the National Council for Cyber Security and the Netherlands Coast Guard Council.
In 2015, he held the position as Vice Chief of Defence, and was promoted to vice admiral, and in September 22, 2017, he became the Chief of Defense and was promoted to lieutenant admiral.

Awards