Rob Bauer

Last updated

Rob Bauer
20230116-CMC Off portrait-004.jpg
Bauer in 2021
Born (1962-11-11) 11 November 1962 (age 61)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
AllegianceNetherlands
Service/branch Royal Netherlands Navy
Years of service1981–present
Rank Lieutenant Admiral
Commands held Chair of the NATO Military Committee
Chief of Defense
Vice Chief of Defence
Director of Plans for Operational Policy and Innovation
HNLMS Johan de Witt
HNLMS De Ruyter
Battles/wars War on Terror
Awards Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau

Robert Peter Bauer (born 11 November 1962) is a lieutenant-admiral in the Royal Netherlands Navy, currently serving as the Chair of the NATO Military Committee since June 2021, after succeeding Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach. Bauer previously served as the Chief of Defence (Dutch: Commandant der Strijdkrachten) from October 2017 to April 2021, [1] and as the Vice Chief of Defence of the Armed forces of the Netherlands from 1 September 2015 to 13 July 2017. [2] [3] Bauer was also involved in anti-terrorist and anti-piracy operations in the Mediterranean Sea, and in the Horn of Africa. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Bauer entered the Royal Netherlands Navy through the Royal Naval College in 1981 until commissioned as a 3rd class lieutenant (Lieutenant ter zee der 3de klasse) in 1984. He also completed the Advanced Strategic and General Studies Programme in 1998. [4]

Throughout his career, Bauer was placed in shipborne missions and was eventually tasked in foreign assignments. Bauer commanded the HNLMS De Ruyter, a De Zeven Provinciën-class air defence and command frigate in 2005 to 2007. During his term as ship commander of the HNLMS De Ruyter, his deployments also includes the operational deployment in the Mediterranean Sea with the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 as part of the NATO Response Force, as part of Operation Active Endeavour, where he took park on Dutch operations during the War on terror. The HNLMS De Ruyter was also deployed in Bahrain in 2006 where Bauer served as the Deputy Commander of Task Force 150 in the Operation Enduring Freedom in the Arabian Sea. He also took part in anti-piracy operations in the Horn of Africa during their deployment as part of Operation Atalanta, primarily focused in protecting sea lanes and bound for Somalia and neighboring waters. Bauer also commanded the HNLMS Johan de Witt, a Rotterdam-class landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious warfare ship, in 2010 to 2011. [3]

Bauer 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, which is in charge of overall defense and war-planning policies, as well as organizational structure measures being taken by the Dutch Armed Forces, which included the creation of the Defence Cyber Command, which is specialized in cyber warfare. 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. Bauer also served as the Chairman of the Defence Business Platform and also became a board member of the National Committee for 4 and 5 May. [3]

Bauer was appointed Vice Chief of Defence, and promoted to vice admiral, on 22 September 2015. In July 2017, he handed his position as the Vice Chief of Defence to Lieutenant General Martin Wijnen, in order to prepare for his post as Chief of Defence. During his term as Vice Chief of Defence, Bauer initiated reforms towards the collaboration between the Dutch Armed Forces and the private sector. [3] Bauer eventually became the Chief of Defence on 5 October 2017, after the resignation of Tom Middendorp and then-Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert in the aftermath of the death of two Dutch soldiers in a training accident in Mali. [5] He was promoted to lieutenant admiral – the highest rank in the Royal Netherlands Navy, equivalent to a NATO OF-9 flag officer (i.e., four stars) – on October 5, 2017. [3] As the overall commander of the Dutch Armed Forces, Bauer pushed for additional funding in the armed forces and initiated modernization efforts. Bauer also spearheaded transformations for organizational effectiveness, emphasized more modern strategic defense policies and strengthened the trust between all sectors in the armed forces. [3]

Chair of the NATO Military Committee

Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Bauer meets with Slovenian State Secretary Andrej Benedejcic (2023) Srecanje drzavnega sekretarja Benedejcica s predsedujocim Nato vojaskemu odboru admiralom Robom Bauerjem. (52700484674).jpg
Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Bauer meets with Slovenian State Secretary Andrej Benedejčič (2023)

On 9 October 2020, Bauer was elected by various Allied Chiefs of Defence from the NATO Military Committee as the new Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, [6] the senior military adviser to the Secretary General of NATO. He took up the position replacing Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, on 25 June 2021. [7] [8]

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Bauer initiated measures aimed at strengthening the alliance's defense measures in Eastern Europe, such as the Baltic States and former members of the Warsaw Pact through the expansion of the rapid reaction forces from 40,000 soldiers to as much as 300,000 soldiers, [9] and the creation and deployment of four new battlegroups in Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. [10] [11] Bauer also made efforts to hasten Finland's application to the alliance, while also assisiting Sweden's accession despite Turkey and Hungary's opposition. [12] [13] The measures were also aimed at strengthening NATO's deterrence policies which aims to prevent a potential spillover in the conflict. [14] Bauer also emphasized that the Russian Army could "still pose a huge threat and must not be underestimated" due to the overall capabilities. [15]

Bauer also spearheaded measures which allowed various members to donate weapons, ammunition, equipment, and supplies to Ukraine aimed in continuing their strong support to Ukraine throughout the conflict, which also resulted to a declining ammunition supply towards various NATO members and the challenges facing the alliance's overall weapons stockpiles. [16] [17] Bauer also called on fellow members to continue increasing their defense budgets in terms of allocating at least 2% of each country's GDP to defense preparations. [18] In addition to the war in Ukraine, Bauer is also monitoring China's activity in the Taiwan Strait, as well as Russia's potential affairs in the Arctic and also tackled against rising Chinese influence in the Global Order. [19] [20]

Awards and Badges

A closeup look at Bauer's medals and badges throughout his career (2019) Airborne herdenking 75 jaar Market Garden-3.jpg
A closeup look at Bauer's medals and badges throughout his career (2019)

Personal life

Bauer comes from a family of engineers. He is married to Maaike Bauer and they have three children. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands Armed Forces</span> Combined military forces of the Netherlands

The Netherlands Armed Forces are the military services of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The core of the armed forces consists of the four service branches: the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Royal Netherlands Army, the Royal Netherlands Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. The service branches are supplemented by various joint support organisations. In addition, local conscript forces exist on the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba (AruMil) and Curaçao (CurMil). These operate under the auspices of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Netherlands Marine Corps. The armed forces are organisationally part of the Ministry of Defence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgian Armed Forces</span> Combined military forces of Belgium

The Belgian Armed Forces is the national military of Belgium. The King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium became independent in October 1830. Since then, the Belgian armed forces have fought in World War I, World War II, the Cold War, Kosovo, Rwanda, Somalia and Afghanistan. The Armed Forces comprise five branches: the Land Component, the Air Component, the Naval Component, the Medical Component and the Cyber Component.

The Royal Netherlands Navy is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is one of the four Netherlands Armed Forces. It was founded on 8 January 1488, making it the third oldest naval force in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Implementation Force</span> NATO-led force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995–96)

The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename Operation Joint Endeavour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands Marine Corps</span> Royal Dutch Navy component

The Netherlands Marine Corps is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy, one of the four Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The marines trace their origins to the establishment of the Regiment de Marine on 10 December 1665, by the then grand pensionary of the Dutch Republic, Johan de Witt and famous Admiral Michiel de Ruyter. It is the second-oldest still-active marine corps in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Netherlands Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of the Netherlands armed forces

The Royal Netherlands Air Force is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was created in 1953 to succeed its predecessor, the Luchtvaartafdeling of the Dutch Army, which was founded in 1913. The aerobatic display team of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, active from 1979 until 2019, was the Solo Display Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common Security and Defence Policy</span> Defence policy of the European Union

The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) is the European Union's (EU) course of action in the fields of defence and crisis management, and a main component of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EU Battlegroup</span> Military unit

An EU Battlegroup is a military unit adhering to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union (EU). Often based on contributions from a coalition of member states, each of the eighteen Battlegroups consists of a battalion-sized force reinforced with combat support elements. Two of the battlegroups were to be capable for operational deployment at any one time. The civil power that oversees these battlegroups is the Council of the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Netherlands Army</span> Land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces

The Royal Netherlands Army is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the Staatse Leger was raised making the Dutch standing army one of the oldest in the world. It fought in the Napoleonic Wars, World War II, the Indonesian War of Independence and the Korean War, as well as served with NATO on the Cold War frontiers in West Germany from the 1950s to the 1990s.

HNLMS <i>De Ruyter</i> (F804) Dutch frigate

HNLMS De Ruyter is a De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate of the Royal Netherlands Navy. She was laid down in 2000, launched in 2002, and commissioned in 2004, the third ship of her class to enter service. The frigate is named after Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter (1607–1676).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)</span> Dutch government ministry

The Ministry of Defence is the Dutch ministry responsible for the armed forces of the Netherlands and veterans' affairs. The ministry was created in 1813 as the Ministry of War and in 1928 was combined with the Ministry of the Navy. After World War II in the ministries were separated again, in this period the Minister of War and Minister of the Navy were often the same person and the state secretary for the Navy was responsible for daily affairs of the Royal Netherlands Navy. In 1959 the ministries were merged once again. The ministry is headed by the Minister of Defence, currently Kajsa Ollongren, assisted by the Chief of the Defence, Onno Eichelsheim since April 2021.

HNLMS <i>Karel Doorman</i> (A833) Multi-function support ship

HNLMS Karel Doorman is a multi-function support ship for amphibious operations of the Royal Netherlands Navy, which is also used by the German Navy. The ship replaced both of the navy's replenishment oilers: HNLMS Zuiderkruis and HNLMS Amsterdam. At 204.7 m she is the largest ship in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battlegroup 107</span> Military unit

Battlegroup 107 or BG-107 is an EU Battlegroup. It originally consisted of military elements from the Netherlands, Germany, and Finland. From 1 January 2007 until 30 June 2007, it was on standby under German leadership. In preparation for its second standby period in the first half of 2011, when it was also known as EUBG 2011/1, its composition changed; Austrian and Lithuanian troops were added, the Netherlands took over command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief of Defence (Netherlands)</span>

The chief of defence is the highest-ranking military officer in the armed forces of the Netherlands and is the principal military advisor to the minister of defence. On behalf of the minister of defence, he is responsible for operational policy, strategic planning and for preparing and executing military operations carried out by the armed forces. The chief of defence is in charge of the central staff and is the direct commanding officer of all the commanders of the branches of the armed forces. In this capacity, the chief of defence directs all the activities of the Royal Netherlands Army, the Royal Netherlands Navy and Royal Netherlands Air Force. He is also in charge of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, when it is operating under the responsibility of the minister of defence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthieu Borsboom</span>

Vice admiral Matthieu Borsboom is a retired Royal Netherlands Navy officer who is a former Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy and Admiral Benelux, and has served with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Middendorp</span> Dutch general (born 1960)

Thomas Antonius Middendorp is a retired general of the Royal Netherlands Army. He served as Chief of Defence of the Armed forces of the Netherlands from 28 June 2012 until 3 October 2017. He previously served as the commander of Task Force Uruzgan part of the International Security Assistance Force from 2 February 2009 until 3 August 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korps Commandotroepen</span> Special forces unit of the Royal Netherlands Army

The Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) is the elite special forces unit of the Royal Netherlands Army. The KCT traces its origins to the Second World War with the founding of No. 2 (Dutch) Troop, and the founding of the Korps Speciale Troepen during the Indonesian War of Independence. At present, the unit is tasked with conducting the full spectrum of special operations, its principal tasks being direct action, special reconnaissance, military assistance and counter-terrorism.

HNLMS <i>Dolfijn</i> (1990) Submarine

HNLMS Dolfijn (S808) is a Walrus-class submarine of the Royal Netherlands Navy. She entered service in 1993 as the third submarine of the Walrus class, after HNLMS Walrus and HNLMS Zeeleeuw. Dolfijn has been deployed both for naval exercises and in combat operations around the world. Furthermore, the submarine plays an important role by performing intelligence operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onno Eichelsheim</span>

Onno Eichelsheim is a general in the Royal Netherlands Air Force serving as Chief of Defence of the Netherlands Armed Forces since 15 April 2021. Prior to his post, he served as the Vice Chief of Defence from 1 July 2019 to 8 March 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands Special Operations Command</span> Military unit

The Netherlands Special Operations Command is a joint command of the Netherlands Armed Forces which is responsible for the planning, command and control, execution and evaluation of all operations conducted by the Dutch special operations forces, the Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) and the Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Forces (NLMARSOF).

References

  1. ↑ (in Dutch)
  2. ↑ (in Dutch) Benoeming nieuwe Commandant der Strijdkrachten, Rijksoverheid.nl, 24 February 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the Military Committee". NATO.
  4. ↑ "Curriculum Vitae Chief of Defence Admiral Rob Bauer | Publication | Defensie.nl". english.defensie.nl. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "Dutch defense minister resigns over peacekeepers' deaths in Mali". Reuters. 3 October 2017.
  6. ↑ "NATO Chiefs of Defence elect next Chairman of the Military Committee – Admiral Rob Bauer of the Netherlands Armed Forces".
  7. ↑ "Admiral Rob Bauer begins his tenure as Chair of the NATO Military Committee". NATO. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the Military Committee". NATO. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  9. ↑ "NATO to boost rapid reaction force to 300,000 troops: Stoltenberg". www.aljazeera.com.
  10. ↑ "Ukraine conflict: NATO leaders approve four new battlegroups in Eastern Europe". Janes.com.
  11. ↑ Atlamazoglou, Constantine. "NATO is pouring concrete to support new 'battlegroups' in 4 countries amid rising tensions with Russia". Business Insider.
  12. ↑ Bayer, Lili (12 October 2023). "Pressure mounts for Turkey and Hungary to ratify Swedish Nato bid – as it happened". The Guardian.
  13. ↑ "Estonian Defense Minister: Baltic Can Become 'Internal NATO Sea' With Sweden, Finland in Alliance".
  14. ↑ "A new era for NATO has begun". Atlantic Council. 7 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "Never underestimate Russia, top NATO military official warns". POLITICO. 3 July 2023.
  16. ↑ Fouche, Gwladys; Siebold, Sabine; Fouche, Gwladys (17 September 2023). "Rising ammunition prices set back NATO efforts to boost security, official says". Reuters.
  17. ↑ Gak, Brad Lendon,Radina Gigova,Fred Pleitgen,Kostyantin (4 October 2023). "Western ammo stocks at 'bottom of the barrel' as Ukraine war drags on, NATO official warns". CNN.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ "NATO Details Defense Plans—And Reiterates Call for More Member Spending". Defense One. 11 May 2023.
  19. ↑ Schreiber, Melody (16 October 2022). "A wary NATO watches the Arctic for Russian — and Chinese — aggression". ArcticToday.
  20. ↑ "Nato-China tension over Ukraine flares up at conference in Iceland". The Straits Times. 16 October 2022.
  21. ↑ https://english.defensie.nl/binaries/defence/documenten/speeches/2021/04/15/speech-by-the-netherlands-minister-of-defence-ank-bijleveld-schouten-on-the-occasion-of-the-change-of-command-from-admiral-bauer-to-general-eichelsheim/20210415+Toespraak+minister+Bijleveld+bij+de+commando-overdracht+CDS+%28Engels%29.docx.pdf.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  22. ↑ https://twitter.com/CMC_NATO/status/1542562359998390273.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. ↑ "https://twitter.com/ArmyLuxembourg/status/1281135429752950784". X (formerly Twitter).{{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  24. ↑ Defensie, Ministerie van (2 July 2020). "Belgische waardering voor Commandant der Strijdkrachten - Nieuwsbericht - Defensie.nl". www.defensie.nl (in Dutch).
  25. ↑ "NATO Secretary General and Chair of the Military Committee receive CIOR medal".
Military offices
Preceded by Chair of the NATO Military Committee
2021–present		Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.