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| Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy | |
|---|---|
| Commandant Zeestrijdkrachten | |
 Rank flag for vice admiral | |
 | |
 Royal Netherlands Navy | |
| Type | Service chief |
| Abbreviation | CZsk |
| Member of | Admiral Benelux |
| Reports to |  Chief of Defence |
| Seat | The Hague |
| Precursor | Commander of the Naval Forces |
| Formation | 5 September 2005 |
| First holder | Jan-Willem Kelder |
TheCommander of the Royal Netherlands Navy (Dutch:Commandant Zeestrijdkrachten) (CZsk) is thehighest-rankingofficer of theRoyal Netherlands Navy. The CZsk reports directly to theChief of Defence (Netherlands).
The position of CZsk was created on 5 September 2005, following a large overhaul of the command structure of the Dutch armed forces. In this overhaul the position ofBevelhebber der Zeestrijdkrachten was dropped and the position ofCommander of the Naval Force in The Netherlands was upgraded to the current CZsk position. Ever since the integration of theRoyal Netherlands Marine Corps into the Navy, the former Commander of the Marine Corps has held the position of Deputy Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
In addition to being the commanding officer of the Dutch Navy, under the terms of theBENESAM Treaty the CZsk is also theAdmiral of the Benelux (the commanding officer of the integrated command of theDutch andBelgian fleets). This means the CZsk is the commanding officer of the operational units of the Royal Netherlands Navy and theBelgian Naval Component.Also, the CZsk shares command responsibility with theChief of Defence for units that have been deployed on international missions (under the colors of theUnited Nations).
The position of CZsk is statutorily held by aVice Admiral orLieutenant General of the Marines (NATO OF-8). The current CZsk isVice-AdmiralHarold Liebregs, who succeededVice AdmiralRené Tas in the position in September 2025.[1]
The Commander of the Royal Dutch Navy is Director of four Directorates:
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 |  | Vice Admiral Jan-Willem Kelder (1949–2021) | 5 September 2005 | 31 August 2007 | 1 year, 360 days | |
| 2 |  | Lieutenant General Rob Zuiderwijk (born 1951) | 31 August 2007 | 22 January 2010 | 2 years, 144 days | |
| 3 |  | Vice Admiral Matthieu Borsboom (born 1959) | 22 January 2010 | 26 September 2014 | 4 years, 247 days | |
| 4 |  | Lieutenant General Rob Verkerk (born 1960) | 26 September 2014 | 22 September 2017 | 2 years, 361 days | |
| 5 |  | Vice Admiral Rob Kramer (born 1962) | 22 September 2017 | 9 September 2021 | 3 years, 352 days | |
| 6 | .jpg) | Vice Admiral René Tas (born 1964) | 9 September 2021 | 18 September 2025 | 4 years, 9 days | [2] |
| 7 | | Vice Admiral Harold Liebregs (born 1968) | 18 September 2025 | Incumbent | 67 days | [3] |