Their press conference about the missing Malaysia Airlines plane is currently being beamed around the world – so who are John Young and John McGarry?
An experienced and well-respected member of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, John Young has spearheaded numerous emergency search and rescues throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
He has been at the centre of the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 since intelligence led to focus turning to waters off the Australian coast within the past week.
Related: Aussies experts think they’re found wreckage of missing plane
In pictures: People, not numbers – the faces of MH370Related: Aussies searching for survivors of MH370
Since then, he has applied a logical, thorough and methodical approach to the 600,000 square km search, which he agreed was like “a needle in a haystack”.
Although he insisted it was possible the debris found today may not be from the missing plane, the fact he fronted a press conference about the finding is a strong indicator that the evidence is robust.
John was involved in the search and rescue operation surrounding the Russian expedition ship Akademik Shokalskiy, which became trapped in ice in Antarctica with 53 passengers earlier this year.
He and his division also fields calls from asylum seekers in distress in overcrowded boats.
As general manager of emergency response since 2008, John has responsibility for co-ordinating search and rescues, training and planning.
John Young and John McGarry addressing the media.
John Young and John McGarry addressing the media.
John Young and John McGarry addressing the media.
The other major figure in the Australia search is Air Commodore John McGarry, director general of Australian Defence Force’s military strategic affairs.
With a key role in military surveillance, Air Commodore John McGarry worked alongside AMSA in locating the suspected debris from missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 on satellite images.
Describing the sighting as “a promising lead” in the 12-day search, he is co-ordinating the dispatching of multiple military aircraft to the potential crash site 2,500km south west off the coast of Perth.
A Royal Australian Air Force Orion aircraft arrived at the suspected site at 1.50pm today and other aircraft and naval ships, which are well-equipped to lead a recovery mission, are en route.
Related: Aussies experts think they’re found wreckage of missing plane
In pictures: People, not numbers – the faces of MH370Related: Aussies searching for survivors of MH370
Based in Canberra, well-liked John works closely with the Federal Government. He provides “accurate and timely” advice to the Minister for Defence, Senator David Johnston, on operational deployments and reviews of all current operations.
At today’s press conference, he said China had expressed interest in aiding the search following the Australian discovery.
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