The Defence Minister hopes we won't need to extend our time in Iraq again.

The government's announced our troops will stay another 18 months beyond our two year commitment to training Iraqi forces.

Gerry Brownlee told Mike Hosking he hopes our troops will be able to help make a real difference in this next period.

He said given so much territory has been regained in the past 12 months, you would think that once the next 18 months is up, things in Iraq will be dramatically different.