Texas Border Business
SAN ANTONIO – Governor Greg Abbott joined White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross in a roundtable discussion to launch Project Watershed 250, a joint effort that connects Texas water utility providers with cyber defense resources at no cost. Project Watershed 250 will pair federal and private-sector capabilities with state and local expertise to protect water systems and other critical infrastructure.
“Texas is the state leader in the United States in cyber warfare,” said Governor Abbott. “Project Watershed 250 will connect water utility providers with cyber defense resources at no cost by leveraging the experience of private sector businesses with the expertise of the Texas Cyber Command. Our communities and water systems will be better secured from the onslaught of cyber-attacks.”
Project Watershed 250 is a joint project of the Office of the National Cyber Director and private sector partners. Those partners will provide cyber defense resources to Texas water and wastewater utilities at no cost. Many rural providers lack the resources they need to defend themselves. The Texas Cyber Command and Project Watershed 250 close that gap and make Texas water systems harder targets for China, Iran, and other hostile foreign adversaries.
Governor Abbott made establishing the Texas Cyber Command an emergency item during the 89th Legislative Session. The Legislature passed House Bill 150 to create the Texas Cyber Command, the largest state-based cybersecurity department in America, and the Governor signed it into law in San Antonio. The Command defends state and local systems, coordinates incident response, and works with federal partners to protect critical infrastructure.
The Governor was also joined by Chief of the Texas Cyber Command Vice Admiral (Ret.) TJ White, and private sector leaders partnering on Project Watershed 250.
