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Last month, the Senate unanimously confirmed Rear Adm. David Stone's nomination as assistant secretary of homeland security for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

In April, President Bush nominated Stone, who gained support from members of the Senate committees on governmental affairs, and commerce, science and transportation.

Stone was appointed TSA acting administrator in December after serving as the administration's deputy chief of staff since August 2003. In 2002, he joined TSA as the first federal security director at Los Angeles International Airport after retiring from the U.S. Navy.

"I am fully committed to working with Secretary Tom Ridge and the rest of the Department of Homeland Security team to strengthen the nation's bulwarks in the war against terror," Stone said in a prepared statement.

Stone previously served in the Pentagon as chief of naval operations, deputy director of surface warfare, and director of environmental protection, safety and occupational health.