The Department of Homeland Security is making a subtle but symbolically significant change to its official seal, replacing an eagle that faces an olive branch with one that looks toward a bundle of arrows. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced the redesign while describing DHS as being "at war every single day" against threats ranging from terrorism and drug cartels to cyberattacks and drones. While the seal's overall design will remain familiar, the adjustment carries added significance because of the message the administration says it is intended to send ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Newsweek reached out to the DHS and Mullin via email for comment. The redesign centers on the eagle that appears at the heart of the DHS seal. Under the current version, the eagle holds an olive branch in one talon and a bundle of arrows in the other while facing the olive branch.
Under the updated design, the eagle will instead turn toward the arrows. The remainder of the seal is expected to stay largely unchanged. The eagle's shield will continue to feature imagery representing the nation's air, land and sea domains, while the stars above it symbolize the organizations brought together when DHS was created.
Because only the direction of the eagle's gaze is changing, the redesign is more symbolic than structural. Mullin said the redesign is intended to reflect what he views as the department's modern mission and security environment. In announcing the change, he argued that DHS faces constantly evolving threats that require responses across land, air, sea and cyberspace.
He said the agency must adapt to terrorism, organized crime, cyberattacks, drone incursions and other emerging risks. The secretary framed the seal update as a visual representation of that posture, saying Homeland Security is engaged in a daily effort to protect the country from those threats. The announcement comes as the department prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks, which led to DHS's creation.
The current seal dates back to the department's founding in the aftermath of 9/11. Congress created the Department of Homeland Security through the Homeland Security Act of 2002, combining 22 federal agencies and offices into a single Cabinet-level department responsible for coordinating domestic security efforts. The seal was designed to reflect that mission and the agencies brought together under the new department.
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