He succeeds Vice Admiral Karambir Singh who will take charge as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command.
Vice Admiral Kumar, an alumni of the National Defence Academy, has had extensive operational tenures onboard frontline warships of the Indian Navy.
He had commanded six sea-going platforms including the guided missile corvette Kulish, the guided missile frigate Talwar, the guided missile destroyers Mumbai and Mysore.
He was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1981 and is known to be a specialist in missiles and gunnery.