Story highlights The new Air Force secretary was confirmed with 76 votes in favor and 22 against

This is only the second Senate-confirmed position at the Pentagon since Trump took office

(CNN) Heather Wilson, President Donald Trump's pick for secretary of the Air Force, was confirmed by the Senate Monday with 76 votes in favor and 22 against.

Wilson is the first service secretary to be confirmed in the Trump administration and is only the second Senate-confirmed position at the Pentagon since he took office, with the other being Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

Wilson is a 1982 graduate of the US Air Force Academy, a Rhodes Scholar and a former member of Congress, representing New Mexico from 1998 to 2009.

During her confirmation hearings, Wilson said she plans to address the Air Force's pilot shortage as well as seek additional funding for the service's modernization efforts.

Her bipartisan confirmation is likely to be welcome news for the Trump White House, which has struggled to fill some of the Pentagon's top posts more than 100 days after inauguration.

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