Governor Greg Abbott and White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross launched Project Watershed 250 in San Antonio on Monday, a joint initiative that connects Texas water utility providers with cyber defense resources at no cost.
The program is aimed at closing a persistent gap in the state’s critical infrastructure defenses. According to an Aug. 31 news release from the governor’s office, many rural water providers lack the resources they need to defend themselves, leaving systems that serve small Texas communities exposed.
“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, the governor’s office said. Those partners will supply cyber defense resources to Texas water and wastewater utilities at no charge, pairing federal and private-sector capabilities with state and local expertise. The agency said the effort, together with the Texas Cyber Command, closes that gap and makes Texas water systems harder targets for China, Iran and other hostile foreign adversaries.
The initiative builds on a state agency of recent vintage. Abbott made establishing the Texas Cyber Command an emergency item during the 89th Legislative Session, and lawmakers passed House Bill 150 to create it. The governor’s office described the command, which Abbott signed into law in San Antonio, as the largest state-based cybersecurity department in America. It defends state and local systems, coordinates incident response and works with federal partners to protect critical infrastructure.
Abbott was joined at the roundtable by Texas Cyber Command Chief Vice Admiral (Ret.) TJ White and private sector leaders partnering on the project. The governor’s office said additional photos from the event would be provided when available.