CIA director nominee John Brennan faced tough questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee regarding his involvement in the spy agency's drone program during his confirmation hearing Thursday.

He also faced several interruptions from war protesters. The committee briefly halted the hearing to clear the protesters from Code Pink.

When it resumed, Brennan said the fight against al Qaeda is far from over.

"If given the honor to serve as the 21st director of the CIA, I would take it as a sacred obligation to do everything in my ability to make sure the CIA is the absolute best intelligence service it can be and one that makes all Americans proud," he said.

Brennan said America is still at war with al Qaeda and is under "daily cyberattack" by foreign enemies.

The hearing came as lawmakers are expected to receive a classified report providing the rationale for drone strikes targeting Americans working with al Qaeda overseas. Brennan, who currently serves as White House counterterrorism chief, helped manage the drone program.

He has come under fire for his support for some of the most controversial programs in the covert war on al Qaeda, from the deadly drone strikes to the CIA's use of interrogation techniques like waterboarding during President George W. Bush's administration.

The use of drones has grown 700 percent under the Obama administration. The White House is defending the drone program. They said they will provide congressional committees with classified information about strikes.