diff --git a/pkg/proxy/apis/kubeproxyconfig/types.go b/pkg/proxy/apis/kubeproxyconfig/types.go
index d8bf19fe5f3..13c92a1a392 100644
--- a/pkg/proxy/apis/kubeproxyconfig/types.go
+++ b/pkg/proxy/apis/kubeproxyconfig/types.go
@@ -160,9 +160,10 @@ type KubeProxyConfiguration struct {
 type ProxyMode string
 
 const (
-	ProxyModeUserspace ProxyMode = "userspace"
-	ProxyModeIPTables  ProxyMode = "iptables"
-	ProxyModeIPVS      ProxyMode = "ipvs"
+	ProxyModeUserspace   ProxyMode = "userspace"
+	ProxyModeIPTables    ProxyMode = "iptables"
+	ProxyModeIPVS        ProxyMode = "ipvs"
+	ProxyModeKernelspace ProxyMode = "kernelspace"
 )
 
 // IPVSSchedulerMethod is the algorithm for allocating TCP connections and
diff --git a/pkg/proxy/apis/kubeproxyconfig/validation/validation.go b/pkg/proxy/apis/kubeproxyconfig/validation/validation.go
index 55bbe7930d5..cf576e564d4 100644
--- a/pkg/proxy/apis/kubeproxyconfig/validation/validation.go
+++ b/pkg/proxy/apis/kubeproxyconfig/validation/validation.go
@@ -146,9 +146,10 @@ func validateProxyMode(mode kubeproxyconfig.ProxyMode, fldPath *field.Path) fiel
 	case kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeUserspace:
 	case kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeIPTables:
 	case kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeIPVS:
+	case kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeKernelspace:
 	case "":
 	default:
-		modes := []string{string(kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeUserspace), string(kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeIPTables), string(kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeIPVS)}
+		modes := []string{string(kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeUserspace), string(kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeIPTables), string(kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeIPVS), string(kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeKernelspace)}
 		errMsg := fmt.Sprintf("must be %s or blank (blank means the best-available proxy (currently iptables)", strings.Join(modes, ","))
 		allErrs = append(allErrs, field.Invalid(fldPath.Child("ProxyMode"), string(mode), errMsg))
 	}