The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy has said that he expects the service will welcome a former Italian Navy aircraft carrier in home waters before October 5 of this year, Indonesian state news outlet Antara reported recently.
However, Admiral Muhammad Ali clarified that no formal agreement has been reached between the Indonesian and Italian governments regarding the turnover of ex-Giueseppe Garibaldi and that no purchase has yet taken place.
The admiral assured that the Indonesian Ministry of Defence has been in talks with the Italian Navy and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, though he did not provide details on the coverage of the discussions.
Garibaldi was decommissioned in October 2024 after having operating in Italian service for nearly 40 years. Her operational history included participation in the 1999 NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia, the initial stages of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan between late 2001 and early 2002, and the 2011 EU military intervention in Libya under Operation Unified Protector.
October 5, the date given by Admiral Ali as the ship's latest expected arrival in Indonesian waters, is also the 81st anniversary of the establishment of the country's armed forces.
