Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Timothy James “TJ” White as Chief of the Texas Cyber Command. White’s term will last until February 1, 2027. The Texas Cyber Command was established to use cybersecurity expertise and resources from state, local, and federal partners to defend Texas against cyber threats.
“Our state is under constant attack by cyber criminals, attacks that occur thousands of times every single second of every single day,” said Governor Abbott. “Texas needs strong cybersecurity experts to lead our fight against these attacks, often from hostile foreign adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran. Admiral White’s decades of honorable military service to our country combined with his cybersecurity expertise makes him the leader we need at the helm of the Texas 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.”
The creation of the Texas Cyber Command was named an emergency item in Governor Abbott’s 2025 State of the State Address for the 89th Regular Legislative Session. The measure was signed into law in June.
White is a retired vice admiral in the U.S. Navy and founder of OneNetworkConnection, LLC. He works as a Professor-of-Practice at the Naval Postgraduate School and is involved with several organizations including the Military Cyber Professionals Association, Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society, and serves as a trustee for Southwest Research Institute. He joined the Navy in 1983 from Spring, Texas, serving for 37 years before retiring in 2020. His roles included Commander of United States Fleet Cyber Command/United States TENTH Fleet/United States Navy Space Command and Commander of United States Cyber National Mission Force/USCYBERCOM. He also served as Director of Intelligence for United States Indo-Pacific Command.
White holds degrees from several institutions: a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy; a Master’s in Systems Technology from Naval Postgraduate School; and a Master’s in Strategic Resource Management from Industrial College of the Armed Forces.
