On a white disc edged yellow, a dark gray shield bearing a gray chain encircling a terrestrial globe Proper, surmounted throughout the center by a yellow horizontal motto scroll with the Latin inscription, APTO AUT MORIOR, which translates to I Must Adapt or I Will Die in dark purple. The scroll is between four lightning bolts diagonally placed, radiating from the center of the globe--two above, green to the left and red to the right and two below, dark blue to the lower left and blue to the lower right. Resting on top of the shield, an American bald eagle Proper, wings displayed horizontally, grasping three crossed yellow arrows and bearing on its breast a shield blazoned as follows: Argent, a paly of six Gules, a chief Azure; all within a dark purple designation band double-edged yellow, inscribed above, JOINT IMPROVISED-THREAT DEFEAT ORGANIZATION and below, a disc, all yellow.
The dark gray shield denotes the unknown future of improvised threats and JIDOs role to anticipate the unknown. The terrestrial globe symbolizes the global nature of improvised threats and JIDOs area of responsibility supporting the worldwide deployment of U.S. warfighters in support of the Combatant Commanders. The chain encircling the globe suggests the interconnected communities of action necessary to contain enemy networks, defeat improvised threats and protect U.S. forces, while at the same time fighting interconnected threat networks. The war eagle, adapted from the Department of Defense seal, denotes JIDOs relationship under the authority, direction and control of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency as a combat support agency. The dark purple suggests the joint nature of this mission. The lightning bolts indicate speed and accuracy of rapid capability delivery to U.S. forcesgreen for the Army, dark blue for the Navy, ultramarine blue for the Air Force and scarlet for the Marine Corps. They represent each branch of service to which materiel and non-materiel capabilities and support are provided. As the mission changed and the capabilities of JIDO were codified, symbolism for this seal was carried from the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization to the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Agency to the current organization.