Indonesia's First Aircraft Carrier: DPR Approves Italian Grant of ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi

The DPR convened a meeting to approve the grant of an aircraft carrier from Italy. This vessel will become Indonesia’s first aircraft carrier.

The meeting was held by Commission I of the DPR together with the Ministry of Defence (Kemhan) and the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu). Commission I was to decide whether or not to approve acceptance of the grant.

The meeting was chaired by the Chair of Commission I, Utut Adianto, in the Commission I meeting room at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday (20/7/2026). Present were the Deputy Chair of Commission I, Budisatrio Djiwandono, along with Sukamta, Dave Laksono and Anton Sukartono Suratto.

The meeting involved Deputy Minister of Defence Donny Ermawan, the Chief of Staff for General Planning of the TNI Commander, Lieutenant General TNI Candra Wijaya, the Chief Advisor to the Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General TNI Muhammad Zamroni, the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Edwin, and the Deputy Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Tedi Rizalihadi.

“Our agenda today is the approval of defence and security equipment (alpahankam). I must set out the chronology: Mr Sjafrie wrote to the DPR leadership in a letter dated 7 July 2026. The Defence Minister’s letter, addressed to the Speaker of the DPR, dated 7 July, concerned a request for approval to accept a grant of defence and security equipment from abroad,” Utut said during the meeting.

Utut said Indonesia would receive one aircraft carrier, the Giuseppe Garibaldi. Its total value amounts to EUR 54,022,426.67, which at the current exchange rate is approximately Rp 1,108,524,528,764.67 (over one trillion rupiah).

“Yes, what is being granted is one Italian ship, the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi, valued at 54,022,426.67 euros,” Utut said.

Utut noted that every acceptance of a grant must be approved by the DPR. The factions within Commission I would each convey their views on the grant.

“The grantor is the Government of the Italian Republic, given to the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia. The regulations governing the acceptance of grants are a matter for our colleagues at the Ministry of Finance, which is why we invited them,” Utut said.

“Under Article 23, paragraph 1, of the State Finance Law, Law Number 17 of 2003, accepting grants or loans from foreign governments or institutions requires the approval of the DPR. Once again, it requires the approval of the DPR,” he continued.

Eight factions approve the aircraft carrier grant

Commission I of the DPR approved the acceptance of the grant of the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi from Italy to Indonesia. Utut stated that all eight factions in Commission I gave their approval for the grant of the defence and security equipment to the Indonesian government.

“All eight factions are unanimous. There are two notes which we hope will be well received as part of strengthening the vessel,” Utut said.

Concerns raised over the carrier’s age

A member of Commission I, TB Hasanuddin, highlighted the service life of the Giuseppe Garibaldi. Hasanuddin noted that the aircraft carrier is already 40 years old, which will have implications for its future operational budget.

“If this were a grant of mortars, small cannons or even tanks, perhaps it would not be a problem. But this is a large grant and a strategic weapon that could affect how our neighbouring countries perceive us. So in our view, it perhaps should not have been done so abruptly as it has been now,” he said during the meeting in the Commission I room at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday (20/7).

Hasanuddin said that on 8 May, the Italian parliament had already communicated the plan to grant the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi to Indonesia. He felt that news of this kind should have been conveyed to the DPR earlier.

“Moreover, according to the notes you submitted, the grant had already been approved by the Italian parliament since 8 May. We could perhaps have been given some prior notice and, if possible, been involved in discussions from the start. That is the first point,” he said.

Nevertheless, Hasanuddin expressed gratitude to Italy for the plan to grant the aircraft carrier worth EUR 54,022,426.67. He then raised the issue of the Garibaldi’s 40-year service life.

“Secondly, we must express our thanks, in whatever form, to the Government of Italy, which has been willing to give Indonesia this grant in the form of an aircraft carrier,” said TB Hasanuddin.

“According to our records, the ship has already reached 40 years of service life. The normal service life of a warship, based on standard references, is around 40 to 45 years, so the Giuseppe Garibaldi may have only about 10 years of usable life remaining,” he added.

Plenary session approves the Italian aircraft carrier grant

A plenary session of the DPR subsequently approved the acceptance of the grant of one unit of the aircraft carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi from the Government of Italy. The approval was taken after all DPR members present declared their agreement.

Initially, the Deputy Chair of Commission I, Budi Djiwandono, presented the report on the deliberations regarding approval of the acceptance of the grant of defence equipment from abroad.

The Speaker of the DPR, Puan Maharani, then asked the plenary session for its approval of Commission I’s report on the acceptance of the grant. The participants of the meeting agreed to approve it.

“We ask the honourable House session: can the report of Commission I of the DPR on the approval of the acceptance of the grant of one unit of the aircraft carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi from the Government of the Italian Republic be approved?” Puan asked.

“Approved,” the meeting participants replied.