Governor Greg Abbott recently announced seven emergency items for state lawmakers to consider within the first 60 days of the legislative session – one of which was the creation of a Texas Cyber Command that would be headquartered in San Antonio. To help coalesce support for this important initiative, the Greater Chamber has been advocating for the project behind-the-scenes as the project is expected to have a significant economic impact on San Antonio and solidify the city’s reputation as Cyber City, USA.
President & CEO Jeff Webster was featured in a story on Spectrum News discussing the impact of the project and what it means for San Antonio. “It’s a great opportunity for our young people to grow in their careers and have an opportunity in one of the fastest and most emerging careers. It ties into our military presence, Military City USA, and it’s an opportunity to tie into the expansion that’s happening with the 502nd (16th Air Force) down at Port SA,” said Webster.
With the governor’s designation as an emergency item, lawmakers are allowed to fast track proposed bills through the legislative process, as it circumvents the constitutional ban on passing any legislation in the first 60 days without 80 percent support of both chambers.
The proposed Texas Cyber Command would help defend against attacks from hostile foreign nations like Russia, China and Iran that could jeopardize the state’s power, water and transportation systems. Not only will this command respond to cyberattacks, but it will also help the state detect and prepare for cyberattacks, plan and coordinate with infrastructure partners, investigate and recover from attacks, and promote cybersecurity awareness.
The governor said this project would “leverage the expertise and resources” of the University of Texas at San Antonio and other entities. UTSA recently opened a National Security Collaboration Center (NSCC) and School of Data Science in downtown San Antonio. The NSCC is made up of more than 80 government and industry partners, including the NSA, U.S. Secret Service, Raytheon Technologies, CPS Energy, and the 16th Air Force — also known as Air Force Cyber. It was recently selected to be part of the United States Cyber Command Academic Engagement Network, offering the university even more national security credentials.
The Texas Cyber Command is one of the top priorities for the Greater Chamber’s advocacy day at the State Capitol, ¡VIVA San Antonio! on March 26, 2025.