By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate confirmed General Joshua Rudd on Tuesday to lead the National Security Agency and the nation's Cyber Command, filling a position that had been vacant since President Donald Trump abruptly fired his predecessor in a national security purge.

The Senate voted 71-29 to confirm Rudd, making him a four-star general.

Trump nominated Rudd, then a lieutenant general and No. 2 at the military's Indo-Pacific Command, for the so-called dual-hat position in December.

The NSA monitors, collects and processes information and data for global intelligence and counterintelligence purposes. Cyber Command conducts offensive and defensive cyber operations, an increasingly important part of military campaigns including the current Iran war.

The agency was shaken up in April, when Trump fired General Timothy Haugh along with Wendy Noble, his deputy.

No reason was given for the firings, which took place after the Republican president had an Oval Office meeting with Laura Loomer, a far-right political activist known as a conspiracy theorist, who said on X that she had given Trump a list of officials she considered disloyal to him.

In a statement, Republican U.S. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, praised the confirmation.

"General Rudd is a war hero with a lifetime of service to our nation. He is the right choice to lead the protection of our nation from cyberattacks by Iran, Russia, and China," said Cotton, who criticized Democrats for not acting more quickly.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, a senior member of the intelligence panel, said in a letter to Trump that he did not feel Rudd was qualified and blocked efforts to fast-track his confirmation.

(Reporting by Patricia ZengerleEditing by Bill Berkrot)