Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Sunday that the Department of Homeland Security will update its official seal, turning the central eagle to face a bundle of arrows rather than an olive branch.

Mullin made the remarks during an appearance on Fox News' "The Sunday Briefing" with host Peter Doocy. He described the redesign as both tactical and symbolic, underscoring the need to adapt to shifting security challenges.

"If you look at most of our seals throughout all the agencies, the eagle looks to the palm because that's in a time of peace," Mullin said. "We're actually changing our seal to make it look towards the arrows, because when it looks towards the arrows is when it means we're at war."

The updated seal will retain most of its existing elements, including the eagle's shield representing air, land, and sea domains and stars symbolizing the agencies consolidated under DHS. Only the eagle's head direction will change.

Mullin emphasized that the department operates in a constant state of vigilance. "Every single day I get a briefing; every single day we have new threats, and every single day the threats are changing," he said. He cited terrorism linked to drug cartels, cyberattacks from adversaries like China and Russia, and drone activity as key concerns.

The announcement comes ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Mullin noted that threats have evolved since DHS was created in 2002, requiring the agency to remain agile across cyber, sea, air, and land domains.

Mullin was confirmed by the Senate in March 2026 as the ninth DHS secretary in a 54-45 vote and sworn in by President Donald Trump. His tenure has focused on border security, cartel designations as terrorist organizations, and countering fentanyl trafficking.