Gov. Abbott Calls for New Cyber Command

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is calling for the establishment of the Texas Cyber Command as an emergency item for the 89th Legislative Session during his State of the State address on Sunday.

Abbott announced the emergency item at the Arnold Oil Company in Austin, where the governor stressed the importance of protecting the state from cyber attacks.

This year has already seen multiple public entities fall victim to devastating attacks and breaches, including Matagorda County, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and public school districts.

“San Antonio is home to one of the world’s largest concentrations of cybersecurity experts,” said Abbott. “We must harness those assets to protect against threats from China, Iran, Russia and other foreign enemies. They could cripple our power, water and communications with cyber attacks. We must use cutting-edge capabilities to secure our state.”

According to a press release, the Texas Cyber Command would be headquartered in San Antonio, where it would work in close partnership with the University of Texas at San Antonio, as well as all other state universities.

The command would also collaborate with the state’s Regional Security Operation Centers, the newest of which is expected to be established at the University of Texas at Austin in July.

Abbott thanked state Sen. Tan Parker (R-12) and state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-98) in his address for “their leadership on this issue.”

Capriglione, author of House Bill 1709, also known as the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act, likewise praised Abbott in a LinkedIn post.

“With cyberattacks — both domestic and foreign — growing more frequent every day, it’s clear that we need a strong, dedicated force to protect our families, businesses and way of life,” Capriglione wrote. “Establishing a new Texas Cyber Command isn’t just a priority — it’s an essential response to a very real threat facing our great state.”