Indonesia Receives Its First Aircraft Carrier Amid Domestic Spending Debate
· World · The Independent, The Guardian
Indonesia welcomed its first aircraft carrier, the 41-year-old former Italian warship ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, at a naval base in North Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok seaport on Friday. Italy agreed to transfer the retired vessel to boost bilateral defense ties and save decommissioning costs. The carrier will be commissioned into the Indonesian Navy next week as the KRI Gajah Mada, serving primarily as a mobile command and helicopter support hub for disaster response and maritime operations. The acquisition, backed by $450 million in financing approved by the Finance Ministry in 2025, has sparked fierce debate among economists and lawmakers. Opposition politicians estimate that retrofitting the aging warship could push total costs up to 16 trillion rupiah, roughly $900 million, amid domestic fiscal pressures.
Why it matters
The acquisition establishes Indonesia as only the second Southeast Asian nation with an aircraft carrier, significantly altering regional naval capabilities despite domestic fiscal concerns.
Read the original report — The Independent
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