Devy Ernis, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Defense has dismissed rumors of a purchase contract related to the grant of the Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier from Italy. Information circulating on social media suggests the ship's grant is intended to support the purchase of defense equipment.
"The grant of the Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier is not linked to any obligation to purchase specific defense equipment," Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, Head of the Defense Information Bureau of the Ministry of Defense's Secretariat General, told Tempo on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
He explained that prior to the planned aircraft carrier grant, the Indonesian government had already established cooperation and procurement of defense equipment with Italian authorities.
"Therefore, there is no obligation to purchase defense equipment under this grant," Rico said.
Discussions regarding the defense equipment purchase contract related to the Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier grant surfaced on social media. The account @aledeniz tweeted that Italian authorities had submitted a decree to parliament that would allow the ship's transfer to Indonesia free of charge.
The account's handler continued, stating in an attached document that the Italian government informed its parliament that the free transfer was intended to support several future contracts.
"(Purchase of) 6 submarines and 6 aircraft for a total value of 1.53 Euro," tweeted the account X @aledeniz, as seen by Tempo on Monday, March 2, 2026.
The grant was made through a government-to-government mechanism. The 180.2-meter-long former Italian Navy aircraft carrier must first undergo technical readiness, including repairs and modernization in Italy. The budget required for this is estimated at IDR 7.5 trillion.
Prabowo's desire to acquire the Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier has been apparent since President Prabowo Subianto became Minister of Defense. At that time, Prabowo visited Italy to discuss the modernization of Indonesia's defense equipment at the end of 2022. This agenda continued when Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff General Muhammad Ali personally inspected the aircraft carrier.
The aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi is targeted to arrive in Indonesia before the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) anniversary celebrations on October 5th. The ship will be deployed to support the Indonesian Navy's duties in both war and non-war operations.
– Dani Aswara contributed for this article.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2090256/indonesia-denies-aircraft-carrier-grant-linked-to-arms-bu