Admiral (ret.) Rob Bauer is a retired senior Dutch naval officer and former Chair of the NATO Military Committee. In this role, he played a central role in providing unfiltered military advice to the highest political level and in promoting unity among member states during a period of global security unrest.

From 2017 to 2021, Bauer was Chief of Defence of the Netherlands. Born in Amsterdam in 1962, he served more than forty years in the Royal Netherlands Navy. He graduated from the Royal Naval College in 1984 and held various command and strategic positions throughout his career, eventually becoming one of the most influential military leaders within NATO.