![Chris de Ron](https://cdn.asp.events/CLIENT_Defence__8EE24275_D70D_4386_936BB8991B847FF8/sites/Navy-Leaders-2022/media/libraries/speakers/de-ron.jpg/fit-in/500x500/filters:no_upscale())
Chris de Ron
Lieutenant Commander de Ron started his military career in 1999 at the Naval Academy in The Netherlands. As a technical officer he served on different frigates and a tanker with different responsibilities within the technical and damage control/firefighting domain. In his current position at the Material en IT department (COMMIT) within the Netherlands Armed Forces he is responsible for the material standards for naval vessels on damage control and firefighting.
His daily activities are a mix between the involvement in the new build ships and the necessary things needed to optimise the operational capability of the current fleet. Both areas of interest have the same kind of challenges although they differ for each vessel or project. Not completely unexpected, the most noteworthy are the replacement of firefighting foam, the introduction of lithium batteries and the introduction of autonomous (firefighting) systems.