Admiral Rob Bauer
Chair, Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Admiral Rob Bauer (Royal Netherlands Navy) is the 33rd Chair of the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). As the Military Adviser to the Secretary General and the North Atlantic Council, Admiral Bauer is NATO’s most senior military officer. He is the conduit through which consensus-based advice from the Chiefs of Defence of all NATO Allies is brought forward to the political decision-making bodies of NATO. Rob Bauer (Amsterdam, 1962) was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1984. From 2005 until 2007, Bauer commanded the Air Defence and Command Frigate HNLMS De Ruyter. In 2010 and 2011, he held command of the Landing Platform Dock HNLMS Johan de Witt. As Director of Plans (2012-2015), Bauer was responsible for directing strategies relating to the future of Defence, operational policy and innovation, and the organization and structure of the armed forces as a whole, including the creation of the new Defence Cyber Command. As Vice Chief of Defence (2015-2017), Bauer oversaw the move towards more flexible and sustainable cooperation with private companies and organisations. As Chief of Defence (2017-2021), he commanded the Netherlands Armed Forces during the first four years of substantial investments after a decades-long period of cutbacks.
