Analyst says aircraft carrier must align with Indonesia's defence needs

Defence analyst Gerry Soejatman has assessed that the government, specifically the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), must ensure the use of the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi matches Indonesia’s defence requirements. According to Gerry, this must be confirmed because aircraft carriers come in various types with differing combat functions. “We need to divide aircraft carriers into two categories: those that can operate as a full main force with capable air wings for power projection, and the light aircraft carrier type such as ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, which falls into this class,” Gerry said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday. Gerry added that the Giuseppe Garibaldi was built by Fincantieri to meet Italy’s military defence needs, namely conducting rapid operations in domestic waters. This condition makes the Garibaldi suitable for Indonesia’s maritime defence because the Indonesian Navy requires an aircraft carrier not for military operations outside its territory. The Navy plans to use the vessel for inter-regional logistics transport operations, humanitarian missions, and military operations other than war. “We can use it as a helicopter carrier for operational needs within Indonesian waters, not for blue water navy purposes,” he said. Although the Garibaldi is considered suitable for the TNI’s military doctrine, the government must still dig deeper into its pockets for engine maintenance because the ship is already 40 years old. The maintenance process is useful for extending the vessel’s service life and adapting the aircraft carrier’s technology to the TNI’s needs. Meanwhile, analyst and consultant Marapi Alman Hevas Ali said the maintenance process for the Giuseppe Garibaldi should ideally be carried out by Fincantieri. “Because during its service with the Italian Navy, the MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) for the ship was carried out by them,” Alman said. According to Alman, Fincantieri is currently the most competent party to perform maintenance on the vessel because it holds the ship’s history records from 1985 to 2024. Nevertheless, Alman emphasised that the TNI does not need to be entirely dependent on the Italian shipyard. While handing over the carrier’s maintenance to Fincantieri, the TNI could begin seeking which domestic shipyards are considered to have the capability to perform aircraft carrier maintenance. “We also need to study MRO capabilities, identifying which national shipyards can perform repairs in the future,” he said.