Garibaldi Aircraft Carrier Gift to Indonesia Stalled in Italian Parliament; Vote Postponed
Rome — An opinion from the Foreign Affairs and Defence Commission, which would essentially amount to approval for the operation, was supposed to be issued on Monday, 16 March 2026. However, the opposition, led by the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement, successfully delayed the vote. Their concern centres on a sensitive issue: the free transfer of the Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier (C551) to Indonesia.
The transfer of military equipment declared obsolete on technical grounds is permitted only for defence material, subject to a binding opinion from the competent parliamentary commission. In a statement issued days earlier, Democratic Party senators Alessandro Alfieri and Graziano Delrio noted that the decision to postpone the vote also enjoyed support from some majority political forces.
Several unclear points remain, particularly regarding the role of Italian submarine company Drass, which Indonesia has identified as an alleged intermediary in the transaction. However, Drass itself has become an indirect beneficiary of the overall agreement, which according to parliamentary information includes a contract for the construction of six submarines worth €480 million (approximately Rp 9.36 trillion), currently in progress.
As reported by Il Sole 24 Ore, the two senators added that given the complex political situation, it is crucial for Defence Minister Guido Crosetto to appear directly and clarify the operation’s outline to dispel any doubts.
The Five Star Movement has also pressed for answers. In a statement from M5S members of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Commission, they declared: “In the Senate’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Commission, we have requested and obtained, together with other opposition forces, a postponement of the vote on the decree concerning the transfer of the Garibaldi to Indonesia, requesting additional information from the government on all unclear aspects of this matter.”
The movement demanded full clarification on the role of Drass as an intermediary, proposed by Indonesia’s Defence Ministry, and the relationship between this sale and the large contract won by the same company for submarine procurement, also for Indonesia. They questioned why Italy’s Defence Ministry chose to donate a historically significant asset of the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) still valued at over €50 million (approximately Rp 1 trillion) rather than sell it. The M5S further demanded absolute transparency regarding any relationship between Defence Minister Crosetto and Drass Chairman Sergio Cappelletti, alleged meetings in Dubai in recent days, and connections between the company and Crosetto’s events, which have allegedly been financed by the same company in recent years.
Italian Defence Ministry Statement
On 7 March 2026, following publication of an article by Il Fatto Quotidiano titled “Crosetto, the Man from Dubai and the Business of Wealthy Indonesians,” the Italian Defence Ministry issued a statement clarifying that “there is no ‘Indonesian business’ that can be attributed to the Defence Minister or the Ministry. No action or decision taken by the Minister can be interpreted as such. Defence procurement procedures do not involve the Minister in technical and administrative decisions, which are instead the responsibility of relevant administrative structures.”