ABSTRACT
Any discussion of HRM begins with the question, ‘What is HRM?’ The answer usually suggests a question, wrapped in a puzzle, shrouded in an enigma. To understand the concept, it helps to begin by viewing HRM's temporal and geographical beginnings. As Storey (2001: 2) succinctly points out ‘it is scarcely more than a decade since the time when the term “human resource management” (HRM) was rarely used’ at least outside the United States where it has its origins. It was during the 1980s that HRM emerged onto the global scene and now it is a familiar term around the world. However, it is still the subject of great debate amongst academics and practitioners alike. It is also a concept that defence organizations are coming to terms with around the world, be they established armed forces of industrialized nations such as the United Kingdom and the United States or developing democratic states in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and South America. It is fair to state that many nations’ armed services are experiencing rationalization and restructuring that has occurred as a result of the ending of the Cold War, changes in defence budgets, and new defence priorities since 2001.
