Asia Defense | Security | Southeast Asia

Indonesia’s Navy Is Growing. Is Its Combat Power Keeping Up?

While fleet size is an important measure of operational capacity, a lot depends on how effectively new platforms are equipped, operated, and integrated.

The ITC Giuseppe Garibaldi, now the KRI Sriwijaya of the Indonesian Navy, anchored in Naples, Italy, Oct. 25, 2024.

Indonesia has just become the fifth navy in Asia to operate an aircraft carrier, marking a new phase in the development of its maritime power. This milestone came on September 24, when the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) officially commissioned KRI Sriwijaya-100, formerly ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi of the Italian Navy, as its first aircraft carrier. This acquisition complements the TNI AL’s ongoing fleet expansion through surface combatant acquisitions and modern submarine construction, which are gradually extending its operational reach and options. However, while fleet size and tonnage are important measures of operational capacity and endurance, naval strength also depends on how effectively these platforms are equipped, operated, and integrated.

This requirement is particularly relevant given Indonesia’s geographic position and status as an archipelagic state connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans. According to the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Jakarta has approximately 6.4 million square kilometers of maritime territory. Its waters accommodate three Indonesian Archipelagic Sea Lanes and lie near several strategic shipping routes. The United States Energy Information Administration reported that the Strait of Malacca, the most important of these shipping lanes, carried approximately 23.2 million barrels of oil per day in the first half of 2025, amount equivalent to 29 percent of global seaborne oil trade. The scale of Indonesia’s maritime territory and the significance of these shipping routes require the TNI AL to maintain sufficient operational reach, readiness, and a sustained presence across multiple areas.

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Indonesia has just become the fifth navy in Asia to operate an aircraft carrier, marking a new phase in the development of its maritime power. This milestone came on September 24, when the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) officially commissioned KRI Sriwijaya-100, formerly ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi of the Italian Navy, as its first aircraft carrier. This acquisition complements the TNI AL’s ongoing fleet expansion through........

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