A strategic expert believes the government extending overseas military deployments - is a political decision.

Our training deployment in Iraq is being extended until June next year, while our deployment in Afghanistan is pushed out until next September.

Victoria University strategic studies expert Jim Rolfe told Mike Hosking Kiwi deployments are bringing military value in these overseas regions.

He says New Zealanders have a reputation as being good trainers.

"The Government makes its own mind up as to how it wants to be seen by the world. Successive Governments have said that they want to participate in keeping the world safer and this is a way of keeping the world safer."

LISTEN ABOVE AS JIM ROLFE SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING