PORTLAND – Robert Dyer, a former Federal Aviation Administration official, has been appointed federal security director of the Portland International Jetport, U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced Wednesday.

Dyer was a supervisor of the FAA’s Civil Aviation Security Field Office. In that post, he was responsible for regulating airports and air carriers in New England.

Dyer has also worked on aviation security and crisis management for the FAA. He has also been a federal air marshal and an associate instructor at the FAA Technical Training Center in Oklahoma.

He retired from the Air Force with 20 years of experience in military law enforcement.

The federal security director positions were created by legislation signed by President Bush last fall.

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta appointed Dyer and four others Wednesday, bringing the number of appointed federal security directors to 47.