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.

Bauer also commanded HNLMS Johan de Witt, a Rotterdam-class landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious warfare ship, from 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.

[5] He was promoted to luitenant-admiraal (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.

Bauer also spearheaded transformations for organizational effectiveness, emphasized more modern strategic defense policies and strengthened the trust between all sectors in the armed forces.

[10][11] Bauer also made efforts to hasten Finland's application to the alliance, while also assisting Sweden's accession, despite Turkey and Hungary's opposition.

[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.