The Italian Parliament’s recent approval to donate the decommissioned aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi to Indonesia marks a significant shift in Southeast Asian maritime strategy. This transfer, which has been in the works since Indonesia first signaled interest in 2024, moves beyond a simple handover of aging hardware. It signals the birth of a new kind of naval asset in the region.
Jakarta does not intend to operate the Garibaldi as a traditional fixed-wing carrier, a feat that would be prohibitively expensive and technically daunting. Instead, the Indonesian Navy plans to transform the vessel into a dedicated drone carrier. This conversion reflects a global trend where smaller navies leverage unmanned aerial vehicles to achieve outsized surveillance and strike capabilities.
The Giuseppe Garibaldi, once the flagship of the Italian Navy, provides a ready-made platform for this experiment. By removing the need for complex arrestor gear and pilot life-support systems required for manned jets, Indonesia can focus on long-endurance drones. This approach allows Jakarta to police its vast archipelagic waters and monitor the sensitive South China Sea more effectively.
For Italy, the donation is a savvy diplomatic move that offloads a costly-to-maintain vessel while cementing a strategic partnership in a critical geopolitical theater. For Indonesia, it is a shortcut to naval prestige and functional power projection. This deal underscores how middle powers are increasingly turning to asymmetric technologies to navigate the intensifying competition in the Indo-Pacific.