U.S. Army Lieutenant General Joshua Rudd, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command, has been confirmed by the US Senate, ending a long vacancy. The Senate voted 71-29 to confirm Rudd, making him a four-star general. The position was previously held by Rudd, who was a lieutenant general and No. 2 at the military's Indo-Pacific Command. The agency was shaken up in April when Trump fired General Timothy Haugh and Wendy ​Noble, his deputy, without explanation. The confirmation of Rudd has been praised by Republican U.S., and Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, chairman of the Senate ⁠Intelligence Committee, for his lifetime of service to the nation.