Air Vice Marshal Subramaniam Ratnam was commissioned in the IAF on the 1st June, 1960 in the Education Branch. He is a graduate of the College of Defence Management and was commended by the Chief of the Air Staff in 1974 for his significant contribution in streamlining the airmen promotion procedure and record keeping.

During his tenure as the Directing Staff (Junior Commander Course) at Air Force Admin College, he recast the syllabus and training notes in Management and gave a new orientation and thrust to the studies in Management. As Junior Directing Staff at the National Defence College during the period May 1981 to December 1984, he worked tirelessly and reorganised, refurnished and upgraded the Library which is a major hub of activities at the College.

On promotion to the rank of Group Captain, he was posted to South Western Air Command as the Command Education Officer in December 1984. During his two years of stay there, he identified the weaknesses in the schooling system and initiated works programme for construction of school buildings in several stations. He was then promoted to the rank of Air Commodore and posted as the Joint Director (Education) at Air HQ in November 1986. As the ex-officio Chairman of the Managing Committee of the three Air Force Public Schools at Delhi, he initiated a number of works programmes which brought about a substantial addition to the infrastructure, thus, creating additional facilities, for both the curricular and the extra curricular activities. He chaired a committee which went into the entire establishment and finance structure of the schools and formulated standard norms. He instituted procedures designed to bring about a coordinated functioning of the three schools. Through effective liaison with the Ministry of Human Resource Development and agencies like CBSE and KVS, he has been able to help both the unit schools and KVS at Air Force Stations tide over many problems connected with affiliations, sanction for additional classes and posting of teachers.

As the Director of Education since January 1990, he has given a new push to the implementation of the official language policy through intimate interaction with the concerned agencies of the Govt. He has taken on hand the implementation of a new scheme of Airmen Trade Tests and computerisation of all operations and records at the Air Headquarters Library.

As the Project Coordinator of the Air Force Golden Jubilee Auditorium since August 1989, he spared no efforts in getting the project completed inspite of manifold difficulties.

Air Vice Marshal Subramaniam Ratnam has, thus, rendered distinguished service of an exceptional order.