Captain Veerbeek was born in 1967 in Dinxperlo, a small village in the east of The Netherlands. In 1985 he joined the Naval Academy in Den Helder as a midshipman. After graduating he served as watchkeeping officer in various frigates, including two months in the US Sixth Fleet and one year with the UK Royal Navy.
As Principal Warfare Officer and Operations Officer, he specialized in Air Defence and Artillery. Stationed on board HNLMS Van Galen and HNLMS Van Amstel, he completed journeys and missions to the Far East, the Mediterranean Sea and the Caribbean Sea. This included a deployment for Enduring Freedom to the Indian Ocean and a tour within STANAVFORMED.
Captain Veerbeek was also stationed for three years at the island of Curaçao, where he served as Head of the Operations Desk for FlagOfficer NLD Forces CARIB, followed by his first command, of the support vessel HNLMS Pelikaan.
Between 2003 and 2006 Veerbeek was posted in Napoli (ITA), first at the AIRCOM A5/7/9 CJFACC branch and later at the JFC HQ Naples J3 Maritime Ops desk. He was also part of a NATO training team on board RFS Moskva, to prepare the Russian Navy for participation in Operation Active Endeavour.
In 2006 Veerbeek started his tour as Executive Officer of the Air Defence Frigate HNLMS Evertsen. The ship was part of the SNMG1 circumnavigation of Africa and also tasked for escorting WFP food transports to Somalia. On conclusion, he joined the NLD Staff and Command course, after which he entered his first posting at the NLD MOD Defense Staff in the Planning & Control Department.
In 2010 Captain Veerbeek assumed command of the frigate HNLMS Van Amstel. He was engaged in counter drugs operations in the Caribbean and also in counter piracy operations as part of the EU operation Atalanta. In 2013 he continued to command the combat support ship HNLMS Amsterdam.
From 2014 to 2016 Veerbeek was Executive Officer of the NL Naval Academy, after which he continued at the NLD MOD Defense Staff in the Plans & Policy department. From 2019 to 2022 Veerbeek was Deputy Group Commander Surface Combatants, responsible for Weapons Systems Management. In November 2022 he was appointed as NLD NMR to SHAPE.
Captain Veerbeek has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Leiden and an Executive Master in Security and Defense from the NLD Defense College. He is married to Wendy and they have two adult daughters. His hobbies include gardening, lumberjacking, hiking, skating, playing volleyball and singing in a chamber choir.
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