By Niala Boodhoo WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - A former police officer, an active Secret Service agent and a military officer were among those sworn in on Wednesday to take charge of security at major U.S. airports, including Atlanta's Hartsfield International and Chicago's O'Hare. The seven men and women were the first federal security directors named to oversee all aspects of an airport's security, including passenger and baggage screening. It marked another step in the government takeover of aviation security following the Sept. 11 attacks in which hijackers slammed airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. An eighth appointee, the new director of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, was not at the ceremony because Secret Service agent Anthony Zotto was doing his current job, protecting Vice President Dick Cheney, who was traveling overseas. "They will be the field marshals for the Department of Transportation's part on the war on terrorism," said Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. At an airport ceremony, Mineta also announced a 60-day extension of federal emergency war-risk insurance for airlines and an April 15 return to full flight operations at Reagan National, the last commercial airport to reopen after the September 2001 attacks and currently cleared for just under 80 percent of its former capacity. Under legislation passed by Congress last year, the government is recruiting 30,000 passenger and baggage screeners to replace private services operating under Federal Aviation Administration guidelines. The federal security directors will report to a new Transportation undersecretary for security. At Atlanta's Hartsfield, the security director will be former Los Angeles Police Chief Willie Williams. Isaac Richardson, a retired Navy rear admiral, will head security at Chicago's O'Hare. Other directors sworn in on Wednesday will manage security at Baltimore-Washington International and for airports in Denver, San Diego, Phoenix and Mobile, Alabama. About 81 of the country's biggest airports will have directors initially, with all 429 U.S. airports eventually getting at least some type of Transportation Security Administration representative. Mineta said the government would continue to assess the adequacy of private insurance coverage. The U.S. government's six-month coverage of airlines' third-party war-risk liabilities, in excess of $50 million, had been set to expire on March 20. It was assumed that private insurers, possibly backed by government reinsurance, would eventually step in to take the risks but so far only a handful of insurers, such as American International Group Inc. (AIG) and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRKa), have returned to the market. Meanwhile, U.S. airlines are trying to set up their own risk retention group with the help of broker Marsh & McLennan Cos Inc. (MMC) ©2002 Reuters Limited.