Indonesia welcomed its first aircraft carrier on Friday in a military ceremony at the Tanjung Priok naval base in North Jakarta. The historic event marked President Prabowo Subianto's drive to develop Indonesia into a credible regional maritime power.
The vessel is the former Italian light carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, a 41-year-old warship capable of operating short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft and helicopters. Italy agreed in March 2026 to gift the ship — retired from Italian Navy service in 2024 — to Indonesia as part of a broader defense engagement agreement. The arrangement benefits Rome as well: gifting the aging carrier saves Italy the substantial cost of decommissioning the vessel while opening doors for additional defense sales including submarines and fighter jets.
'Of course we plan to utilize the ship for purposes other than military combat. However, we are by no means ruling out the possibility of deploying it in war,' Indonesian Navy Chief Admiral Muhammad Ali told reporters following the ceremony. Ali added that the ship was good for another 15 to 20 years of service and could carry as many as 14 helicopters, depending on their size.
The carrier is expected to be formally commissioned into the Indonesian Navy within the week under the name KRI Sriwijaya, honoring the Srivijaya Empire — a powerful maritime trading kingdom based in Sumatra that dominated Southeast Asian sea lanes from the seventh through thirteenth centuries. With the commissioning, Indonesia becomes the second country in Southeast Asia to operate an aircraft carrier. Thailand's HTMS Chakri Naruebet has held that distinction since 1997.
Defense modernization is a signature priority of the Prabowo administration. He has successfully procured new submarines, frigates, fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles, and anti-ship missiles while deepening defense cooperation agreements with Australia, India, and France.
The acquisition has drawn debate inside Indonesia, with critics questioning whether a 41-year-old secondhand hull represents a meaningful capability gain given the maintenance costs involved. Proponents argue the Giuseppe Garibaldi gives the Indonesian Navy an operational platform to build carrier aviation expertise as the country pursues longer-term fleet expansion — a capability that no other ASEAN navy except Thailand has yet developed.
