Stock Photo - 18 September 2023, Latvia, Ventspils (windau): Vice Adm. Frank Lenski, commander of the German fleet and support forces, as well as deputy inspector of the Navy, stands with a Bundeswehr soldier on the U.S. Navy ship USS Mesa Verde during the major maritime maneuver ""Northern Coasts 23"" in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Latvia. The German-led naval maneuver, which runs through Sept. 23, 2023, aims to exercise tactical procedures for national and alliance defense in near-shore waters. The exercise, which is also intended to strengthen cooperation between countries in the Baltic Sea region, involves 3,200 servicemen and women from 14 nations. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa. - Ventspils (windau)/Ventspils/Latvia