It reminds me of Lance Armstrong's common refrain before he was outed as a drug cheat, "I am the most tested athlete in professional sports and I have never been found guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs!" All while he was a heavy drug user.
If one were to down again, it would immediately be assumed FAA is to blame for not catching yet another issue so them reapproving is putting their reputation on the line.
Also boeing is on thin ice. They would not weather another incident like this.
So in this case, I think it does mean extreme safety.
Boeing defense could be broken off and sold to others, in pieces, without impacting the defense of the US. There are not any "pure" military air vehicles being made by Boeing right now (T-X trainer). F15 and F18 used to be owned by someone else, they could be again.
It's incorrect in the unsaid implication, that extreme scrutiny implies extreme safety.