Governor Greg Abbott (R) has appointed Timothy James "TJ" White as Chief of the Texas Cyber Command, with a term set to expire in February. The Texas Cyber Command was established to unify cybersecurity expertise and resources across state, local, and federal agencies, protecting Texas from growing cyber threats.
"Our state is under constant attack by cyber criminals, attacks that occur thousands of times every single second of every single day," Abbott said. "Texas needs strong cybersecurity experts to lead our fight against these attacks, often from hostile foreign adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran."
The Texas Legislature authorized the creation of the Cyber Command in June, following Abbott's designation of the initiative as an emergency item in his 2025 State of the State Address.
"Admiral White's decades of honorable military service, combined with his cybersecurity expertise, make him the leader we need at the helm of the Texas Cyber Command."
TJ White is a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral with 37 years of service. He previously commanded U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, the U.S. TENTH Fleet, and Navy Space Command as well as the U.S. Cyber National Mission Force under U.S. Cyber Command. He also served as Director Intelligence for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
Beyond his military career, White founded OneNetworkConnect, LLC and serves as a professor-of-practice at the Naval Postgraduate School
White holds advanced degrees in systems technology and strategic resource management along with mechanical engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Academy.
