DHS will unveil a new national alert system in the coming days to reflect the "new phase" of the terror threat.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said DHS will move to a new system that will include an intermediate terror threat. Johnson said the new alert system will reflect the current security environment when "not having a specific credible piece of intelligence specifying a plot isn't the end of the story."

A color-coded terror alert system was put in place following the September 11, 2001, attacks and phased out in 2011 under Johnson's predecessor, reported CNN. It was replaced by the two-tier National Terror Advisory System that has such a high bar it has never been used, said CNN. 

After Johnson's remarks, a DHS official said that the changes did not reflect a new system entirely, and instead changes to the existing NTAS, reported CNN.

"Earlier this year, Secretary Johnson directed a review of the NTAS to determine how the Department of Homeland Security can more effectively and quickly communicate information to the public and other partners regarding threats to the homeland," the official said. "This is not a new system."