AUSTIN – The former commander of the federal agency on the front line against high-stakes cyberattacks is coming home to Texas to lead the newest state agency with the same mission, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday.
The Texas Cyber Command, created by lawmakers earlier this year as a priority of the Republican governor, will be led by Timothy James “TJ” White – a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral and former head of the U.S. National Cyber Mission Force, known as U.S. Cyber Command – whose expertise in military cybersecurity and homeland security is critical in a time of growing threats, Abbott said.
White, of Boerne, who now owns a cybersecurity company in Austin, is “the leader we need,” Abbott said. White’s term is set to expire Feb. 1, 2027.
“Our state is under constant attack by cyber criminals, attacks that occur thousands of times every single second of every single day,” Abbott said in a news release. ”Texas needs strong cybersecurity experts to lead our fight against these attacks, often from hostile foreign adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran.”
Texas ranks among the nation’s top targets for cyberattacks, and cybersecurity concerns fueled billions of dollars in requests from state agencies for the current cycle to help combat attacks.
“Texas public entities are alluring targets for cyber threat actors who are using increasingly sophisticated tactics, techniques, and procedures; never-before-seen tools; and exploitative technologies,” reads the State of Texas Cybersecurity Strategic Plan 2024-2029, a recent report by the Texas Department of Information Resources, which oversaw cybersecurity until the command went into effect on Sept. 1. “As we increasingly rely on digital systems and interconnected technologies, the opportunity for attack increases, presenting cyber threat actors with ample opportunity to exploit both known and unprecedented vulnerabilities,”
White is founder of OneNetworkConnection, LLC, in Austin. He served in the Navy from 1983 until his honorable discharge in 2020. During that time, he served as commander of the U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, the U.S. 10th Fleet and the U.S. Navy Space Command, as well as commander of the U.S. Cyber Command.
“Admiral White and the Texas Cyber Command will serve as essential assets to prevent and protect against cyber breaches to keep Texans safe,” Abbott said in his statement.
Southlake GOP Rep. Giovanni Capriglione carried the bill creating the agency, along with Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound.
Texas Cyber Command is administered through the University of Texas System and based at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The command’s primary duties include cybersecurity threat response, management, forensics and training.
The state has been managing cybersecurity threats through the Department of Information Resources, which also oversees procurement and information gathering, agency websites and similar IT duties.
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