Subroto Mukerjee was the first Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Subroto assisted the Air Chiefs in reorganising the IAF. He went to the Imperial Defence College in England for further training in 1952. On returning to India in 1954, Mukerjee took over as the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force on 1 April 1954, in the rank of Air Marshal. When the Change in Designation Act, 1955, was passed, the title of "Commander-in-Chief" was replaced by Chief of the Air Staff, IAF.
Thus Mukerjee became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief as well as Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force.