- Marked the feature gate `ExperimentalHostUserNamespaceDefaulting` as deprecated.
  Enabling the feature gate already had no effect; the deprecation allows for removing the feature gate in a future release. ([#116723](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/116723), [@SergeyKanzhelev](https://github.com/SergeyKanzhelev)) [SIG Node]

* Use of the alpha initializers feature now requires enabling the `Initializers` feature gate. This feature gate is automatically enabled if the `Initializers` admission plugin is enabled.([#51436](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/51436))

## Urgent Upgrade Notes 

### (No, really, you MUST read this before you upgrade)

- 'The `IPv6DualStack` feature gate for external cloud providers was removed.
  (The feature became GA in 1.23 and the gate was removed for all other
  components several releases ago.) If you were still manually

      or a Contribution incorporated within the Work constitutes direct
      or contributory patent infringement, then any patent licenses
      granted to You under this License for that Work shall terminate
      as of the date such litigation is filed.

   4. Redistribution. You may reproduce and distribute copies of the
      Work or Derivative Works thereof in any medium, with or without

      or a Contribution incorporated within the Work constitutes direct
      or contributory patent infringement, then any patent licenses
      granted to You under this License for that Work shall terminate
      as of the date such litigation is filed.

   4. Redistribution. You may reproduce and distribute copies of the
      Work or Derivative Works thereof in any medium, with or without

- The `EndpointSliceTerminatingCondition` feature gate was graduated to GA. The gate is now locked and will be removed in v1.28. ([#113351](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/113351), [@andrewsykim](https://github.com/andrewsykim))
- `DynamicKubeletConfig` feature gate has been removed from the API server.
  Dynamic kubelet reconfiguration now can't be used even when older nodes are still

- Added `UserNamespacesPodSecurityStandards` feature gate to enable user namespace support for Pod Security Standards.
  Enabling this feature will modify all Pod Security Standard rules to allow setting: `spec[.*].securityContext.[runAsNonRoot,runAsUser]`.
  This feature gate should only be enabled if all nodes in the cluster support the user namespace feature and have it enabled.

- Removed the generally available feature gate `ExpandedDNSConfig`.
   ([#122086](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/122086), [@bzsuni](https://github.com/bzsuni))
- Removed the generally available feature gate `KubeletPodResourcesGetAllocatable`.
   ([#122138](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/122138), [@ii2day](https://github.com/ii2day))
- Removed the generally available feature gate `KubeletPodResources`.

      or a Contribution incorporated within the Work constitutes direct
      or contributory patent infringement, then any patent licenses
      granted to You under this License for that Work shall terminate
      as of the date such litigation is filed.

   4. Redistribution. You may reproduce and distribute copies of the
      Work or Derivative Works thereof in any medium, with or without

      or a Contribution incorporated within the Work constitutes direct
      or contributory patent infringement, then any patent licenses
      granted to You under this License for that Work shall terminate
      as of the date such litigation is filed.

   4. Redistribution. You may reproduce and distribute copies of the
      Work or Derivative Works thereof in any medium, with or without