Rapid Fire: 2010-09-30

* Top Pentagon officials defend plans to cut $100 billion in spending before the Senate Armed Services Committee; Virginia Sen. Webb says Pentagon withheld information about closure of JFCOM. * Leaked letter reveals Defence Minister Fox’s opposition to UK government’s plans for deep defense cuts. * China is open to restoring bilateral military relations with the US, which were suspended in January in response to the announcement of $6.45 billion in US arms sales to Taiwan. * Defense Technology gets Russian export approval to purchase 21 civil variant Mi-17 medium lift helicopters and parts worth $379 million for the US Navy, which will then supply them to the Afghan Army Air Force. * DoD’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awards Raytheon a contract worth up $88.7 million to provide information assurance for the agency’s computer networks. * Harris gets $10 million contract to upgrade the communications network for 8 Air National Guard facilities located in California, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, and Oklahoma.