diff --git a/roles/container_runtime/templates/crio.conf.j2 b/roles/container_runtime/templates/crio.conf.j2
index 56d607e2620..2a5b90c6487 100644
--- a/roles/container_runtime/templates/crio.conf.j2
+++ b/roles/container_runtime/templates/crio.conf.j2
@@ -115,6 +115,10 @@ pids_limit = 1024
 # Negative values indicate that no limit is imposed.
 log_size_max = 52428800
 
+# manage_network_ns_lifecycle determines whether we pin and remove network namespaces
+# and manage their lifecycle
+manage_network_ns_lifecycle = true
+
 # The "crio.image" table contains settings pertaining to the
 # management of OCI images.
 [crio.image]