Rapid Fire 2010-11-01: Rare Earth US Funding

* Breaking China’s monopoly: US DoD considers funding private US providers of rare earth metals used in high-tech weapons to break China’s near monopoly. * London calling: UK, France expected to sign defense cooperation accord in London this week. * US intelligence agencies’ spending reaches a record $80.1 billion in FY 2010. * Helping hand: UK MoD’s Salvage and Marine Operations provides salvage and recovery assistance to Royal Navy vessels, and even two Russian Victor-class nuclear attack submarines. * Testing the waters: Russia test-fires a RSM-54 Sineva SLBM from a Bryansk nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea, an RSM-50 SLBM from another nuclear submarine in the Sea of Okhotsk, and a land-based RT-2PM Topol ICBM from the northern Plesetsk launch pad. * Research and Markets: South Korea’s defense spending is expected to reach $32 billion this year, up from $26 billion in 2009. * Raytheon gets $14.8 million contract to supply dual pod countermeasure dispensers for the USMC’s CH-53 heavy lift helicopters. * Rocky Mountain Instrument coughs up another $1 million related to the export of defense-related optics to China, Russia, and other nations without a license, this time for causing other defense contractors to commit fraud against the Pentagon.