In what is shaping up to be a major leap in capabilities for the Indonesian Navy, the Italian Senate has moved forward with the donation of the already retired aircraft carrier Garibaldi, following a session of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee held yesterday. With this committee approval, the operation proposed by the Ministry of Defense must now be put to a vote in the Chamber, where the legislative body will have to make a final decision on what would be a zero-cost transfer of the vessel to the Southeast Asian country.
Expanding on some details, it is worth recalling that the session in which the donation of the Garibaldi was approved had been postponed by the aforementioned Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on March 10, due to objections raised by opposition members who argued that the operation required the defense ministry to present more information before it could move forward. In recent days, various presentations were made in order to dispel these doubts, including the recent appearance of Admiral Giacinto Ottaviani as Direttore Nazionale degli Armamenti (DNA).
In particular, it is worth highlighting that the main opposition to the recently approved donation proposal was presented by Senators Marton and Delrio, from the M5S and PD-IDP parties respectively. Before casting their votes against the measure, both spoke on behalf of their blocs and stated that there were still major information gaps regarding the operation, even pointing out that much of the data available had been obtained through various media reports analyzing previous official documents and different types of leaks.
According to reports published from Rome, one of the main information gaps lay in the role that the company Drass will have as the intermediary selected by the Indonesian government to carry out the transfer of the Garibaldi, as it would be a direct beneficiary במסגרת a new contract under which the Indonesian Navy would commit to purchasing six new submarines for an amount of around 480 million euros. Another factor raised by representatives of the aforementioned parties also lies in the form chosen to carry out the transfer — a donation — when dealing with what is considered a historic asset with a value of around 50 million euros according to their estimates.
In their own words: “We want to know why the Ministry of Defense chose to give away a historic asset of the Marina Militare, whose value exceeds 50 million euros and which, therefore, could have been sold instead of donated. We demand absolute transparency regarding the relations between (Editor’s note: Defense Minister) Crosetto and Drass president Sergio Cappelletti, regarding their alleged meeting in Dubai in recent days, and regarding the relationship between the company and Crosetto’s party, which the same company has financed in recent years. We expect clear answers.” Both the company and the Ministry of Defense have rejected accusations of supposedly opaque arrangements, stating that the decision does not rest with the head of the ministry, but rather with different administrative structures.
Understanding the reasons behind this donation
As we detailed in an article published last February, the Italian government’s decision to move forward with donating the aircraft carrier Garibaldi to the Indonesian Navy is by no means random, but would instead respond to the intention of expanding mutual ties and ensuring that Italian companies secure major contracts in the broad modernization process currently underway in Jakarta. At the time, amounts of up to 1.53 billion euros were mentioned, far exceeding the vessel’s current value.
Breaking this down, it is worth mentioning not only the contract for new DGK-type submarines that would be awarded to Drass and which was highlighted by Senators Marton and Delrio, but also those that would facilitate the arrival of new aircraft to Indonesia. First, there is an agreement worth up to 600 million euros under which Leonardo could supply M-346 aircraft, while an additional contract for maritime patrol aircraft could represent another 450 million euros. Moreover, the transfer of the aircraft carrier Garibaldi could also give Fincantieri the opportunity to move forward with refurbishment work and even a conversion of the ship into a drone carrier.
In addition, if it is ultimately finalized, the operation would also allow the ministry led by Minister Crosetto to avoid spending further funds on maintenance and the subsequent scrapping work required for a vessel already retired. In documents from the Italian Ministry of Defense, investments of around 5 million euros throughout 2025 have been identified in connection with the Garibaldi, including maintenance work to guarantee its structural integrity, surveillance and berthing, and even electricity consumption. In addition, if Rome were to opt for scrapping, it would be tied to an additional investment of around 18.7 million euros.
It should also be considered that the operation would have the legal basis to move forward without major problems, according to the Italian government. Among other things, it is stated that Indonesia meets the requirement of qualifying as a developing country under OECD standards, while also having various cooperation agreements with the European Union and agreements signed by Italy that facilitate the transfer. It was also noted that the aircraft carrier was built for defensive purposes, with a service history in naval security and emergency management operations, which would remove another legal obstacle prohibiting the transfer of offensive materiel.
Finally, and in line with the above, it is worth emphasizing that the Indonesian Navy would reportedly plan to use the Garibaldi primarily as a platform for providing emergency assistance in cases of natural disasters and other types of humanitarian operations, estimating that it could still have some 15 to 20 years of service life remaining if it receives refurbishment work. This was already confirmed by the Indonesian defense minister himself, who indicated that the country has no intention of involving it in offensive operations, while also reflecting the limitations the country would face in equipping it with combat aircraft capable of operating from the ship.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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