Indonesia's navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier on Thursday after acquiring the former Italian vessel, the ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, to strengthen maritime defense and disaster response.

At a ceremony at Tanjung Priok seaport in North Jakarta, the Italian flag was replaced with the Indonesian flag as the carrier was officially renamed KRI Sriwijaya-100.

The carrier, which Italy retired in 2024, arrived in Indonesia last week after a roughly 25-day voyage through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Indonesia plans to use the vessel as a mobile command and support hub for helicopters, drones and maritime operations, rather than as a conventional strike platform.

Source: AP News