Inside Italy’s Carrier Deal With Indonesia

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:01]An aircraft carrier is one of the most powerful symbols of military power on earth.

[00:00:06]Nations spend billions building them.

[00:00:09]Others fight wars to sink them.

[00:00:12]But now, Italy is preparing to hand one over to Indonesia.

[00:00:17]The ship is the Giuseppe Garibaldi.

[00:00:20]Once the flagship of the Italian Navy, the carrier served for almost 40 years before being retired in 2024.

[00:00:28]Instead of cutting it apart for scrap, Rome has approved plans to transfer the vessel to Jakarta in a deal worth roughly $63 million dollars.

[00:00:37]And this is not charity. It is strategy.

[00:00:40]For Italy, keeping an aging aircraft carrier operational is expensive.

[00:00:45]Maintenance, upgrades, dismantling costs, all of it adds up.

[00:00:50]By transferring the Garibaldi to Indonesia, Italy avoids these costs while opening the door for deeper defense ties across the Indo-Pacific.

[00:00:59]For Indonesia, this could be transformational.

[00:01:03]The country stretches across more than 17,000 islands.

[00:01:06]Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, maritime piracy, illegal fishing, Indonesia faces constant logistical and security challenges across one of the world's largest maritime spaces.

[00:01:20]That is where the Garibaldi comes in.

[00:01:23]The ship may no longer be ideal for high-intensity naval warfare, but it can still function as a floating command center, a helicopter platform, [music] a mobile hospital, and a disaster relief hub.

[00:01:36]During emergencies, it could deliver troops, supplies, aircraft, and medical support directly into crisis zones.

[00:01:43]And perhaps [music] even more important than the ship itself is the experience it brings. Operating an aircraft carrier is among the most complex tasks [music] in naval warfare.

[00:01:54]Flight deck coordination, aviation logistics, command systems, maintenance, training. These are capabilities that take years to build.

[00:02:03]The Garibaldi could become Indonesia's classroom at sea.

[00:02:08]Today, Indonesia does not operate a carrier force. Tomorrow, it could begin learning the foundations of carrier aviation without spending billions on a brand new platform.

[00:02:19]For Italy, this is also about influence.

[00:02:23]The transfer could pave the way for future Italian submarine [music] and aircraft sales to Jakarta.

[00:02:29]In other words, one retired carrier may become the centerpiece of a much larger defense partnership.

[00:02:36]But not everyone in Italy is happy.

[00:02:39]Critics argue that the historic warship should become a museum instead of leaving the country forever. Supporters counter that giving the vessel a second life strengthens Italy's strategic footprint in one of the world's most important regions.

[00:02:53]Either way, the message is clear.

[00:02:56]A retired European aircraft carrier is about to reshape naval ambitions in Southeast Asia.

[00:03:02]And Indonesia may be taking its first real step towards becoming a true carrier operating navy.