bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
        published
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
        published
      }
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        relatedNewsletters {
          ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
          id
        }
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
  ... on Video {
    youtubeId
  }
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on SectionUnion {
  __isSectionUnion: __typename
  ... on Section {
    name
  }
  ... on VideoSection {
    name
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


types

sectionsV2

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

Ian Storey

If everything goes according to plan, Indonesia will be in possession of an aircraft carrier come Armed Forces Day on October 5.
When that happens, it will become only the second country in Southeast Asia, after Thailand, to operate such a vessel. But this does not mean Indonesia’s maritime power will increase significantly. The issue here is prestige, not combat power.
The warship in question is the Italian navy’s Giuseppe Garibaldi. The 14,000-tonne flat-top was commissioned in 1985 and equipped with a mix of AV-8B Harrier II short-take-off-and-vertical-landing fighter aircraft and anti-submarine warfare helicopters.
The carrier saw action in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Libya, and took part in several humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations before being decommissioned in 2024. The following year, the Italian government agreed to transfer it to Indonesia.
A group of Indonesian sailors will soon depart for Italy to sail the Garibaldi home.
The acquisition is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s ambitious plans to modernise Indonesia’s armed forces. But his decision to procure a second-hand carrier has been met by defence analysts with a healthy dose of scepticism. To be fair, that scepticism is warranted.

Criticism of the deal falls into three main areas: age, cost and operational value.
The Garibaldi was 39 years old when it was paid off. Despite two upgrades, in 2003 and 2013, it was effectively ready for the breaker’s yard. The ship has since been stripped of its weaponry and upon arrival in Indonesia will require a lengthy refit, possibly lasting several years.
That refit may extend the vessel’s life by only five to 10 years, after which it will need to be scrapped – a timeline that is at odds with the Indonesian navy’s current policy of retiring warships older than 30 years.
Cost is the second line of criticism. Italy is transferring the carrier for a nominal fee of US$60 million, but the total bill for refurbishing the vessel and equipping it with new armaments, engines, radars and helicopters is projected at close to US$1 billion, with some costs offset by an Italian grant.
To put that in context, Indonesia’s entire naval budget in 2025 was US$1.5 billion. Annual operating costs could be as high as US$50 million to US$80 million per year, stretching a growing but still limited defence budget and diverting funds from new patrol boats, corvettes and frigates that the navy urgently needs to police the country’s vast archipelago.

The third and most substantive set of criticisms concerns operational value.
Jakarta has been at pains to emphasise that the carrier will not be used for offensive purposes, but for “military operations other than war” – HADR missions above all.
As a defence ministry spokesperson put it: “There is no intention on the part of our nation … to be aggressive by owning an aircraft carrier like this … there is no invasive intent.”
This is almost certainly true. Even if Indonesia wished to use the carrier to project power, it lacks the operational experience, integrated naval platforms and fast jets to turn that ambition into a reality.
Integrating the Garibaldi with the navy’s frigates and submarines to form an effective carrier strike group would pose an enormous challenge. Without strong escort protection, a carrier is essentially a sitting duck in wartime, especially in an era of hypersonic missiles and drones.
There is also the question of aircraft. The Harrier jump jet, developed in the 1960s, is being phased out by every current operator in favour of Lockheed Martin’s F-35B. Washington has rejected Indonesia’s attempts to procure F-35s. China’s carrier-capable J-35 and France’s Rafale are catapult-launched, a system the Garibaldi lacks. Indonesia’s best realistic option is to equip the vessel with anti-submarine helicopters and possibly surveillance and attack drones.
Carriers are designed for combat, and while they can be deployed in HADR roles, doing so is suboptimal. Carrier-based helicopters can ferry aid to affected communities, but carriers lack well decks: the internal compartments from which landing craft loaded with supplies and personnel are launched.

Ironically, Indonesia’s two hospital ships, based on the domestically produced Makassar-class amphibious landing ship, are equipped with precisely that capability and have taken part in HADR operations for Gaza.
These shortcomings explain why the regional response to Indonesia’s acquisition has been muted. The Garibaldi is not a game-changer and will not alter the balance of power in Southeast Asia. No other country in the region is likely to follow suit.
Critics have pointed to Thailand’s HTMS Chakri Naruebet as a cautionary tale. Delivered in 1997, the helicopter carrier has rarely put to sea due to high operating costs and limited defence budgets – though it did conduct HADR missions as recently as November 2025.
Closer to home, Jakarta might also recall its own experience. In 1993, Indonesia acquired more than 40 second-hand East German warships for a nominal fee. The cost of refurbishing and running vessels designed for cold-climate operations and notorious for high fuel consumption drained the defence budget. The ships spent most of their lives in port before being scrapped.
So why does President Prabowo want the Garibaldi? Aircraft carriers are potent symbols of national power. Only a handful of major maritime nations operate them: primarily China, Britain, France, India, Japan and the United States. Even without aircraft, even as a Cold War relic, the Garibaldi offers Indonesia membership of that exclusive club.
Ian Storey is Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and author of Putin’s Russia and Southeast Asia: The Kremlin’s Pivot to Asia and the Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War. This article was first published by the institute’s commentary website fulcrum.sg


Indonesia’s new aircraft carrier is more vanity project than war machine

The Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi pictured in 2016. Photo: AFP

Indonesian Navy personnel march during the military’s anniversary celebrations in Jakarta. Indonesia’s entire naval budget in 2025 was US$1.5 billion. Photo: Reuters

A US Harrier jump jet lands on board a ship in 1998. The jet is being phased out by every current operator in favour of Lockheed Martin’s F-35B. Photo: AFP

Indonesian military personnel load heavy vehicles onto the Dr Soeharso Navy hospital ship at a military port in Surabaya, East Java. Photo: Handout / EPA-EFE

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The jet-less carrier might buy Jakarta a seat at the elite table, but it offers no advantage in modern naval warfare


The jet-less carrier might buy Jakarta a seat at the elite table, but it offers no advantage in modern naval warfare.


Indonesia

Defence

Prabowo Subianto

Thailand

Italy

France

United States

China

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The jet-less carrier might buy Jakarta a seat at the elite table, but it offers no advantage in modern naval warfare

The jet-less carrier might buy Jakarta a seat at the elite table, but it offers no advantage in modern naval warfare