diff --git a/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk b/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk
index 75f59a90484d..5567e83624fc 100644
--- a/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk
+++ b/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk
@@ -329,6 +329,7 @@ SYSTEM_OBJS+= embedfs_${MFS_IMAGE:T:R}.o
 SYSTEM_LD_BASECMD= \
 	${LD} -m ${LD_EMULATION} -Bdynamic -T ${LDSCRIPT} ${_LDFLAGS} \
 	--no-warn-mismatch --warn-common --export-dynamic \
+	--compress-debug-sections=zlib -O2 \
 	--dynamic-linker /red/herring -X
 SYSTEM_LD= @${SYSTEM_LD_BASECMD} -o ${.TARGET} ${SYSTEM_OBJS} vers.o
 SYSTEM_LD_TAIL= @${OBJCOPY} --strip-symbol gcc2_compiled. ${.TARGET} ; \