Washington ? Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, a career intelligence officer under whose watch the government expanded its ability to track private telecommunications, won easy Senate confirmation Friday to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The Senate voted 78-15 in his favor, a strong bipartisan show of support despite lingering questions over the legality of the warrantless wiretaps carried out by the National Security Agency, which Hayden headed.

Hayden, 61, will become the first member of the military to run the CIA since Adm. Stansfield Tur-ner 25 years ago. He replaces Porter Goss, a former Florida congressman who resigned his CIA post earlier this month after a stormy tenure and clashes with National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, the nation’s top intelligence official.

Senators praised Hayden as an experienced hand and independent leader who would provide the president with unvarnished intelligence assessments.

They also held out the hope that the intelligence community would be more forthcoming under Hayden and keep Congress better informed about its activities.

“He’s made clear his interest in an open and honest relationship with Congress and his respect for our oversight role,” said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

For some senators, especially Democrats, a vote in favor of Hayden was difficult. The party’s liberal wing has been especially critical of the NSA wiretapping program, which targeted phone calls between U.S. residents and suspected al-Qaida allies overseas. USA Today reported earlier this month that the NSA also kept records of millions of domestic calls.