400 Indonesian Navy Personnel to Crew Indonesia’s First Aircraft Carrier

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A total of 400 Indonesian Navy personnel will serve as the crew for Indonesia's first aircraft carrier, the ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, which will soon be renamed KRI Sriwijaya.

"So, after the inauguration, our total crew will be 400 people," said the prospective commander of Giuseppe Garibaldi, Colonel of the Navy (P) Mochamad Fuad Hasan, at Dock 107 Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, on Friday (18/9/2026).

Fuad noted that 40 of the 400 crew members of KRI Sriwijaya come from the Navy Women's Corps (Kowal).

Additionally, 100 personnel already served aboard Garibaldi during its journey from Italy to Indonesia, including Fuad himself.

Fuad explained that the preparation to become the aircraft carrier crew took approximately three months.

One month before departure to Italy in July 2026, they completed around a one-month training program at the Training Command (Kolat) of Koarmada II.

Afterward, they went to Taranto, Italy, to undergo familiarization for about a month at the Italian Navy base.

Following that, they sailed from Italy to Indonesia, arriving in Jakarta this Friday.

According to plans, the ship will be officially handed over to the Indonesian Navy on September 24, 2026.

At the same time, reflagging will occur, changing the flag from Italy to Indonesia and renaming the vessel KRI Sriwijaya.

After the handover, Fuad and the crew will continue training to enhance the ship’s readiness.

"The other 300 personnel have already gathered at the Training Command (Kolat) Koarmada I in Jakarta, undergoing training as well, running in parallel," Fuad said.