Rapid Fire Jan 4, 2013: US Navy Revises INSURV Process

• The US Navy is increasing the frequency of its Inspection and Survey (INSURV) program: inspections will occur every 30 months instead of 5 years. They want reports to reflect a more granular understanding of ship’s readiness, and the goal is to measure material condition as a ship has been readying for deployment, rather than for the inspection itself. US Fleet Forces Command.

• Dawne Hickton, CEO of titanium producer RTI International Metals tells the WSJ she is diversifying away from defense into medical devices: “the elderly population [is] a growing market. We don’t know what the defense market is going to do.” A similar movement was afoot two decades ago during the post-Cold War defense slump, though contractors had mixed results at the time.