Houston Daily

Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Timothy James “TJ” White as Chief of the Texas Cyber Command. White will serve in this role until February 1, 2027. The Texas Cyber Command was established to use the cybersecurity knowledge and resources of state, local, and federal partners to protect Texas from 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."

In his 2025 State of the State Address, Governor Abbott made creating the Texas Cyber Command an emergency item for lawmakers during the 89th Regular Legislative Session. He later signed it into law in June.

White is a retired vice admiral in the U.S. Navy who founded OneNetworkConnection, LLC. He works as a Professor-of-Practice at the Naval Postgraduate School and is connected with several military organizations including the Military Cyber Professionals Association and Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society. He also serves as a trustee for Southwest Research Institute.

White joined the Navy in 1983 from Spring, Texas, and served 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 was also Director of Intelligence for United States Indo-Pacific Command.

His education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy, a Master’s degree in Systems Technology from Naval Postgraduate School, and another Master’s degree in Strategic Resource Management from Industrial College of the Armed Forces.