Constrained defense budget highlights green, recycling technology

ABU DHABI, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) highlighted the use of green energy and recycling technology in manufacturing military products, as defense budgets worldwide are under pressure.

The five-day IDEX, one of the world's largest fairs and exhibitions for defense technology and military equipment, hosts about 1,112 companies from 59 countries. The exhibition started on Sunday and ended on Thursday.

U.S. blue chip firm Alcoa, the world's third biggest aluminum producer, participated for the first time in the IDEX and demonstrated at its platform advantages of recycling aluminum parts from military equipment and vehicles.

The majority of aluminum products from Alcoa have recycled elements, "and interest from customers and potential customers was huge during IDEX," said Maggie Ewing, director of marketing at Alcoa.

According to Ewing, 70 percent of global aluminum output today is recycled as aluminum can be re-used and the U. S. defense department is increasingly recycling used trucks and jeeps which were damaged or destroyed during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Craig Vanbebber, senior manager at U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin Company, said customer's interest and feedback at this year 's IDEX was good.

Vanbebber, however, said "we also felt that defense budgets are constrained, not only in Western countries partly due to the sovereign debt crises there but worldwide."

According to the Washington Post, the United States as the world's biggest spender will cut its defense budget to hit 716 billion U.S. dollars in 2013, down from 729 billion dollars.

This has triggered a growing interest in the military to save money through re-usage and sustainable energy.

Present at the IDEX was Masdar City, the world's first zero- carbon city under construction which is located near the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi.

Masdar (meaning resource) presented the Forge solar array which is assembled at a Masdar plant for the U.S. solar firm ZeroBase Energy.

The solar array is operated in sunny regions to provide cooling energy for tents used by troops and it can reduce the energy usage of diesel generators by 70 percent.

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