ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi Arriving in Indonesia on September 17 to Become KRI Gajah Mada

Italy's ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi is scheduled to reach Indonesian waters on September 17. The carrier will be commissioned into the Indonesian Navy as KRI Gajah Mada. It departed Italy on August 24 and has been tracked crossing the Arabian Sea, according to Antara News and Tempo.

A formal inauguration ceremony is planned for September 25 with President Prabowo Subianto in attendance. Indonesia's Navy confirmed the carrier will be deployed for wildfire and disaster response as soon as it arrives, Antara reported.

The Garibaldi entered service with Italy's Marina Militare in 1985. It spent four decades in the Mediterranean and beyond. Its transfer to Indonesia is the first time Jakarta has operated a fixed-wing capable carrier. Progress has been consistent. The carrier has been tracking steadily through the Indian Ocean in the days leading up to the arrival date, drawing sustained watch traffic on MarineRadar.

The acquisition fits a broader Indonesian naval expansion, with Jakarta looking to project capability across its vast archipelago. The carrier's disaster-response role reflects the country's recurring wildfire seasons, which have strained maritime and air assets in recent years. Italy's Garibaldi carrier sailed for Indonesia in late August to begin the transit that concludes this week. The country's maritime challenges also came into focus when a cargo vessel fire off the Indonesian coast in early September underlined the scale of what Indonesian waters can demand.