The U.S. Navy's USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) was spotted just north of Venezuela at geolocation 13.810500, -66.836008, roughly 40 miles southwest of Aves Island's Base Naval Simón Bolívar this morning, according to an X post by @SA_Defensa published between 6:46:06 PM and 7:15:56 PM UTC on January 1, 2026. Aves Island hosts Venezuela's far-flung naval research station at Base Naval Simón Bolívar in the central Caribbean Sea, as detailed in the @SA_Defensa post quoting an earlier report on the carrier's position. In Puerto Rico, the U.S. Marine Corps' Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron VMM-236 conducted external lift training with a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter carrying a HMMWV at the new airfield in Camp Santiago, Salinas, according to another @SA_Defensa post in the 29-minute reporting window. The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit is assisting construction of the airfield on former parade grounds, which began earlier this month. @SA_Defensa also posted updates on developments behind Hangar 200 at José Aponte de la Torre Airport in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, noting a substantial buildup of resources including barbed wire around containers over the past two weeks, building on observations from December 31.
