diff --git a/dependencies.yaml b/dependencies.yaml
index 1161a80764c..fd37e860bda 100644
--- a/dependencies.yaml
+++ b/dependencies.yaml
@@ -383,10 +383,11 @@ dependencies:
       match: OS_CODENAME\ \?=\ bullseye
     - path: images/build/cross/variants.yaml
       match: "OS_CODENAME: 'bullseye'"
-    - path: images/build/debian-base/Makefile
-      match: CONFIG\ \?=\ bullseye
-    - path: images/build/debian-base/variants.yaml
-      match: "CONFIG: 'bullseye'"
+    # TODO: revert once all images are on bookworm
+    # - path: images/build/debian-base/Makefile
+    #   match: CONFIG\ \?=\ bullseye
+    # - path: images/build/debian-base/variants.yaml
+    #   match: "CONFIG: 'bullseye'"
     - path: images/build/debian-iptables/Makefile
       match: CONFIG\ \?=\ bullseye
     - path: images/build/debian-iptables/variants.yaml
@@ -410,26 +411,27 @@ dependencies:
       match: FROM golang:\d+.\d+(alpha|beta|rc)?\.?(\d+)-bullseye
 
   - name: "Debian: codename (next candidate)"
-    version: bullseye
+    version: bookworm
     refPaths:
-    - path: images/build/cross/variants.yaml
-      match: "OS_CODENAME: 'bullseye'"
+    # TODO: revert once all images are on bookworm
+    # - path: images/build/cross/variants.yaml
+    #   match: "OS_CODENAME: 'bullseye'"
     - path: images/build/debian-base/variants.yaml
-      match: "CONFIG: 'bullseye'"
-    - path: images/build/go-runner/variants.yaml
-      match: "OS_CODENAME: 'bullseye'"
-    - path: images/releng/ci/variants.yaml
-      match: "OS_CODENAME: 'bullseye'"
-    - path: images/releng/k8s-ci-builder/variants.yaml
-      match: "OS_CODENAME: 'bullseye'"
+      match: "CONFIG: 'bookworm'"
+    # - path: images/build/go-runner/variants.yaml
+    #   match: "OS_CODENAME: 'bullseye'"
+    # - path: images/releng/ci/variants.yaml
+    #   match: "OS_CODENAME: 'bullseye'"
+    # - path: images/releng/k8s-ci-builder/variants.yaml
+    #   match: "OS_CODENAME: 'bullseye'"
 
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/build-image/debian-base"
-    version: bullseye-v1.4.3
+    version: bookworm-v1.0.0
     refPaths:
     - path: images/build/debian-base/Makefile
-      match: IMAGE_VERSION\ \?=\ bullseye-v((([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)(?:-([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)(?:\+([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)
+      match: IMAGE_VERSION\ \?=\ bookworm-v((([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)(?:-([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)(?:\+([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)
     - path: images/build/debian-base/variants.yaml
-      match: "IMAGE_VERSION: 'bullseye-v((([0-9]+)\\.([0-9]+)\\.([0-9]+)(?:-([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)(?:\\+([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)'"
+      match: "IMAGE_VERSION: 'bookworm-v((([0-9]+)\\.([0-9]+)\\.([0-9]+)(?:-([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)(?:\\+([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)'"
 
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/build-image/debian-base: dependents"
     version: bullseye-v1.4.3
@@ -475,10 +477,10 @@ dependencies:
 
   # Base images (next candidate)
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/build-image/debian-base (next candidate)"
-    version: bullseye-v1.4.3
+    version: bookworm-v1.0.0
     refPaths:
     - path: images/build/debian-base/variants.yaml
-      match: "IMAGE_VERSION: 'bullseye-v((([0-9]+)\\.([0-9]+)\\.([0-9]+)(?:-([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)(?:\\+([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)'"
+      match: "IMAGE_VERSION: 'bookworm-v((([0-9]+)\\.([0-9]+)\\.([0-9]+)(?:-([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)(?:\\+([0-9a-zA-Z-]+(?:\\.[0-9a-zA-Z-]+)*))?)'"
 
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/build-image/debian-base: dependents (next candidate)"
     version: bullseye-v1.4.3
diff --git a/images/build/debian-base/Makefile b/images/build/debian-base/Makefile
index 9059f85c12a..3f48e877e95 100755
--- a/images/build/debian-base/Makefile
+++ b/images/build/debian-base/Makefile
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ IMAGE ?= $(REGISTRY)/debian-base
 BUILD_IMAGE ?= debian-build
 
 TAG ?= $(shell git describe --tags --always --dirty)
-IMAGE_VERSION ?= bullseye-v1.4.3
-CONFIG ?= bullseye
+IMAGE_VERSION ?= bookworm-v1.0.0
+CONFIG ?= bookworm
 
 TAR_FILE ?= rootfs.tar
 ARCH ?= amd64
diff --git a/images/build/debian-base/bullseye/Dockerfile b/images/build/debian-base/bookworm/Dockerfile
similarity index 100%
rename from images/build/debian-base/bullseye/Dockerfile
rename to images/build/debian-base/bookworm/Dockerfile
diff --git a/images/build/debian-base/bullseye/Dockerfile.build b/images/build/debian-base/bookworm/Dockerfile.build
similarity index 78%
rename from images/build/debian-base/bullseye/Dockerfile.build
rename to images/build/debian-base/bookworm/Dockerfile.build
index 5eb8f5cc409..962c139cb46 100644
--- a/images/build/debian-base/bullseye/Dockerfile.build
+++ b/images/build/debian-base/bookworm/Dockerfile.build
@@ -40,25 +40,18 @@ RUN ln -s /usr/bin/dpkg-split /usr/sbin/dpkg-split && \
 RUN apt-get update \
     && apt-get dist-upgrade -y
 
-# Hold required packages to avoid breaking the installation of packages
-RUN apt-mark hold apt gnupg adduser passwd libsemanage1 libcap2
-
 # Remove unnecessary packages.
-# This list was generated manually by listing the installed packages (`apt list --installed`),
-# then running `apt-cache rdepends --installed --no-recommends` to find the "root" packages.
-# The root packages were evaluated based on whether they were needed in the container image.
-# Several utilities (e.g. ping) were kept for usefulness, but may be removed in later versions.
-RUN echo "Yes, do as I say!" | apt-get purge \
-    bash \
-    e2fsprogs \
-    libcap2-bin \
-    libmount1 \
-    libsmartcols1 \
-    libblkid1 \
-    libss2 \
-    ncurses-base \
-    ncurses-bin \
-    tzdata
+RUN dpkg --purge --force-remove-essential \
+        bash \
+        e2fsprogs \
+        libss2 \
+        libcom-err2 \
+        libext2fs2 \
+        logsave \
+        ncurses-base \
+        ncurses-bin \
+        tzdata \
+    && apt-get autoremove --purge -y
 
 # No-op stubs replace some unnecessary binaries that may be depended on in the install process (in
 # particular we don't run an init process).
diff --git a/images/build/debian-base/bullseye/clean-install b/images/build/debian-base/bookworm/clean-install
similarity index 100%
rename from images/build/debian-base/bullseye/clean-install
rename to images/build/debian-base/bookworm/clean-install
diff --git a/images/build/debian-base/bullseye/excludes b/images/build/debian-base/bookworm/excludes
similarity index 100%
rename from images/build/debian-base/bullseye/excludes
rename to images/build/debian-base/bookworm/excludes
diff --git a/images/build/debian-base/variants.yaml b/images/build/debian-base/variants.yaml
index f3b34a26b24..b8811f325a1 100644
--- a/images/build/debian-base/variants.yaml
+++ b/images/build/debian-base/variants.yaml
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 variants:
-  # Debian 11 - Kubernetes 1.23 and newer
-  bullseye:
-    CONFIG: 'bullseye'
-    IMAGE_VERSION: 'bullseye-v1.4.3'
+  bookworm:
+    CONFIG: 'bookworm'
+    IMAGE_VERSION: 'bookworm-v1.0.0'