diff --git a/roles/kubespray-defaults/defaults/main.yaml b/roles/kubespray-defaults/defaults/main.yaml
index 44400f16b..6e84a0311 100644
--- a/roles/kubespray-defaults/defaults/main.yaml
+++ b/roles/kubespray-defaults/defaults/main.yaml
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ openstack_lbaas_enabled: false
 ## the k8s cluster. Only 'AlwaysAllow','AlwaysDeny', and
 ## 'RBAC' modes are tested.
 authorization_modes: []
-rbac_enabled: "{{ 'RBAC' in authorization_modes }}"
+rbac_enabled: "{{ 'RBAC' in authorization_modes or kubeadm_enabled }}"
 
 ## List of key=value pairs that describe feature gates for
 ## the k8s cluster.