diff --git a/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/customresourcevalidationregistration/cr_validation_registration.go b/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/customresourcevalidationregistration/cr_validation_registration.go
index c95cf9b35885..5a230588fdeb 100644
--- a/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/customresourcevalidationregistration/cr_validation_registration.go
+++ b/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/customresourcevalidationregistration/cr_validation_registration.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/dns"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/features"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/image"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/kubecontrollermanager"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/network"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/oauth"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/project"
@@ -36,6 +37,9 @@ var AllCustomResourceValidators = []string{
 	rolebindingrestriction.PluginName,
 	network.PluginName,
 
+	// the kubecontrollermanager operator resource has to exist in order to run deployments to deploy admission webhooks.
+	kubecontrollermanager.PluginName,
+
 	// this one is special because we don't work without it.
 	securitycontextconstraints.DefaultingPluginName,
 }
@@ -51,6 +55,7 @@ func RegisterCustomResourceValidation(plugins *admission.Plugins) {
 	project.Register(plugins)
 	config.Register(plugins)
 	scheduler.Register(plugins)
+	kubecontrollermanager.Register(plugins)
 
 	// This plugin validates the quota.openshift.io/v1 ClusterResourceQuota resources.
 	// NOTE: This is only allowed because it is required to get a running control plane operator.
diff --git a/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/kubecontrollermanager/validate_kubecontrollermanager.go b/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/kubecontrollermanager/validate_kubecontrollermanager.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..be688a4fa96f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation/kubecontrollermanager/validate_kubecontrollermanager.go
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+package kubecontrollermanager
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+
+	operatorv1 "github.com/openshift/api/operator/v1"
+
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/validation"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/validation/field"
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/admission"
+
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/openshift-kube-apiserver/admission/customresourcevalidation"
+)
+
+const PluginName = "operator.openshift.io/ValidateKubeControllerManager"
+
+// Register registers a plugin
+func Register(plugins *admission.Plugins) {
+	plugins.Register(PluginName, func(config io.Reader) (admission.Interface, error) {
+		return customresourcevalidation.NewValidator(
+			map[schema.GroupResource]bool{
+				operatorv1.Resource("kubecontrollermanagers"): true,
+			},
+			map[schema.GroupVersionKind]customresourcevalidation.ObjectValidator{
+				operatorv1.GroupVersion.WithKind("KubeControllerManager"): kubeControllerManagerV1{},
+			})
+	})
+}
+
+func toKubeControllerManager(uncastObj runtime.Object) (*operatorv1.KubeControllerManager, field.ErrorList) {
+	if uncastObj == nil {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+
+	allErrs := field.ErrorList{}
+
+	obj, ok := uncastObj.(*operatorv1.KubeControllerManager)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, append(allErrs,
+			field.NotSupported(field.NewPath("kind"), fmt.Sprintf("%T", uncastObj), []string{"KubeControllerManager"}),
+			field.NotSupported(field.NewPath("apiVersion"), fmt.Sprintf("%T", uncastObj), []string{"operator.openshift.io/v1"}))
+	}
+
+	return obj, nil
+}
+
+type kubeControllerManagerV1 struct {
+}
+
+func validateKubeControllerManagerSpecCreate(spec operatorv1.KubeControllerManagerSpec) field.ErrorList {
+	allErrs := field.ErrorList{}
+
+	// on create, we allow anything
+	return allErrs
+}
+
+func validateKubeControllerManagerSpecUpdate(spec, oldSpec operatorv1.KubeControllerManagerSpec) field.ErrorList {
+	allErrs := field.ErrorList{}
+
+	// on update, fail if we go from secure to insecure
+	if oldSpec.UseMoreSecureServiceCA && !spec.UseMoreSecureServiceCA {
+		allErrs = append(allErrs, field.Forbidden(field.NewPath("spec.useMoreSecureServiceCA"), "once enabled, the more secure service-ca.crt cannot be disabled"))
+	}
+
+	return allErrs
+}
+
+func (kubeControllerManagerV1) ValidateCreate(uncastObj runtime.Object) field.ErrorList {
+	obj, allErrs := toKubeControllerManager(uncastObj)
+	if len(allErrs) > 0 {
+		return allErrs
+	}
+
+	allErrs = append(allErrs, validation.ValidateObjectMeta(&obj.ObjectMeta, false, customresourcevalidation.RequireNameCluster, field.NewPath("metadata"))...)
+	allErrs = append(allErrs, validateKubeControllerManagerSpecCreate(obj.Spec)...)
+
+	return allErrs
+}
+
+func (kubeControllerManagerV1) ValidateUpdate(uncastObj runtime.Object, uncastOldObj runtime.Object) field.ErrorList {
+	obj, allErrs := toKubeControllerManager(uncastObj)
+	if len(allErrs) > 0 {
+		return allErrs
+	}
+	oldObj, allErrs := toKubeControllerManager(uncastOldObj)
+	if len(allErrs) > 0 {
+		return allErrs
+	}
+
+	allErrs = append(allErrs, validation.ValidateObjectMetaUpdate(&obj.ObjectMeta, &oldObj.ObjectMeta, field.NewPath("metadata"))...)
+	allErrs = append(allErrs, validateKubeControllerManagerSpecUpdate(obj.Spec, oldObj.Spec)...)
+
+	return allErrs
+}
+
+func (kubeControllerManagerV1) ValidateStatusUpdate(uncastObj runtime.Object, uncastOldObj runtime.Object) field.ErrorList {
+	obj, errs := toKubeControllerManager(uncastObj)
+	if len(errs) > 0 {
+		return errs
+	}
+	oldObj, errs := toKubeControllerManager(uncastOldObj)
+	if len(errs) > 0 {
+		return errs
+	}
+
+	// TODO validate the obj.  remember that status validation should *never* fail on spec validation errors.
+	errs = append(errs, validation.ValidateObjectMetaUpdate(&obj.ObjectMeta, &oldObj.ObjectMeta, field.NewPath("metadata"))...)
+
+	return errs
+}