Indonesia to repurpose Italian aircraft carrier for disaster response

President Prabowo Subianto has announced plans to repurpose the Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi to bolster Indonesia’s disaster mitigation capabilities. Once commissioned by the Indonesian Navy and renamed KRI Gajah Mada, the vessel will be refurbished to serve as a mobile platform for helicopters and drones. The goal is to deploy up to 10 medium-class helicopters, such as Black Hawks and Mi-17s, to rapidly reach and suppress widespread forest and land fires.

In tandem with these maritime efforts, National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo reported significant legal action regarding ongoing forest and land fires (karhutla). Authorities have named 138 suspects, including 119 individuals accused of intentional burning and 19 for negligence. The investigation is also targeting eight corporations. This follows administrative actions where 18 companies faced license suspensions and 42 had their licenses revoked. President Prabowo has demanded the identification of these corporations to determine if criminal charges are warranted.

Separately, the South Tangerang Police (Polres Tangsel) conducted an organizational reshuffle, replacing 11 key officials, including several district police chiefs (Kapolsek) and heads of strategic departments, to improve service effectiveness and leadership.