"My duty right now is to play football, and that's what I plan on doing," Campbell said yesterday during a conference call with the media.

Two other current Army seniors - fullback Mike Viti and punter Owen Tolson - signed free agent contracts with the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants, respectively. They also hope to take advantage of the program, which was instituted in April, 2005 when Francis J. Harvey served as Secretary of the Army.

Campbell, who will be commissioned a Second Lieutenant upon graduation, selected air defense artillery as a service assignment and said yesterday he would likely be deployed as a platoon leader commanding approximately 32 soldiers in Iraq or Kuwait had the NFL opportunity not arisen.

"When I came to West Point, I wasn't saying, 'I hope they make a new policy so I don't have to go to Iraq.' I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew I was going to be a platoon leader one day leading soldiers into a potential combat situation because I enrolled here during a time of war. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into," Campbell said.

"Over the last four years, that's what I've been preparing myself for. That's what I've been instructed to do. All of my summers here at the academy have been military training. I'm just fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play football because of my career here at the academy. I did enough to get drafted and pursue this career as a football player."

Graduates of the Air Force Academy and Naval Academy are not being afforded the same opportunity. Those two branches of the service are adhering to a Department of Defense memorandum, issued last August, entitled "Alternative Service Option." That directive, authorized by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and implemented on Jan. 1, 2008, states that "officers may apply for excess leave, after serving a minimum of 24 months of the current obligated active duty period… for the purpose of pursuing a professional sports activity with potential for recruiting or public affairs benefits."

That Department of Defense policy allows athletes that remain in professional sports to serve six years in the Army, Air Force or Naval reserves in exchange for being released from their remaining three years of active duty.

Some officials with the Air Force and Navy think Army is violating the spirit of the Department of Defense initiative by stating that a professional athlete who serves part- time as a recruiter is fulfilling the two-year active-duty commitment.

"Clearly, we believe soldiers who are serving under this policy are indeed still serving, but in a different capacity," said Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb of the Department of Army Public Affairs.

Naval Academy athletic director Chet Gladchuk has grave concerns about the Army policy, which allows varsity coaches at West Point to tell prospective recruits they could potentially avoid military service if they are good enough to play professional sports.

"Army has redefined active duty to include playing professional sports. This new policy gives Army an astronomical advantage from an athletic standpoint and has already made an impact on recruiting," Gladchuk said. "Our coaches are now operating under a significant handicap when recruiting head-to-head with Army. It may not be reflected on the playing field today, but I can guarantee you that it will result in a competitive disadvantage down the road."

Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo agreed that Army's ability to entice recruits with the NFL option could have severe repercussions on the balance of power among the three service academies.

"It's definitely an advantage for Army from a recruiting standpoint. Army, Air Force and Navy have always recruited from the same pool of players and now we are not on a level playing field," Niumatalolo said. "Army can tell recruits they can go pro immediately after graduation and we cannot."

Niumatalolo and Gladchuk are among many that believe the Secretary of Defense needs to step in and ensure that Army, Air Force and Navy are operating under the same guidelines.

"In the 11 years I have been here, the rules have always been applied evenly and fairly to all three service academies. This is the first thing that has ever been different," said Niumatalolo, who served two stints as a Navy assistant coach. "I really don't care what the policy is; I just think it should be equal for all three services."

At present, Naval Academy coaches cannot even tell recruits they can pursue professional sports after serving two years of active duty. Current Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter has suspended the "Alternative Service Option" until further notice.

"As the nation is at war and the other services have utilized Stop Loss authority to maintain readiness, it is inappropriate to continue this policy. All submissions will be held in abeyance," Secretary Winter wrote in a memo dated Nov. 2, 2007.

Ensign Laura Stegherr, a spokesperson for the U.S. Navy, confirmed yesterday that "Alternative Service Option" applications are not being considered and that early releases are not being granted.

Air Force will continue to interpret the Department of Defense memorandum to mean that graduates must serve two years of active duty before seeking a waiver to play professional sports, athletics spokesman Troy Garnhart said.

"There is no movement toward changing the current interpretation of the policy," Garnhart said. "The fact Army is interpreting the policy differently is their prerogative. However, we feel all three service academies should be following the same rules."

Eileen M. Lainez, spokesperson for the Department of Defense, issued a statement that read: an applicant for early release to pursue professional sports must meet certain requirements to include serving a minimum of 24 months of the original active duty service obligation in addition to any further requirements as determined by the appropriate secretary of the military department concerned.

"It is up to the military departments to interpret and apply that policy. Therefore, you must ask Army about its interpretation and application (or why it may differ from other services)," Lainez wrote in an e-mail.

Four West Point graduates have entered the professional sports ranks since Harvey issued the directive outlining the Army version of the "Alternative Service Option." Former Army baseball players Schulyer Williamson, Nick Hill, Milan Dinga and Josh Holden all took advantage of the policy in order to play in the minor leagues. Hill and Dinga were selected in the seventh and 10th rounds, respectively, of the Major League Baseball Draft last June.

Hill (Seattle Mariners), Dinga (Los Angeles Angels) and Holden (Cincinnati Reds) remain in the farm systems of their respective organizations and are assigned to the nearest United States Army recruiting unit.

Campbell is the first Army football player to get drafted by the NFL since the policy took effect in 2005 and his case has produced far more national interest and scrutiny. Some in the media have criticized Campbell for his willingness to play pro football while former classmates are engaged in hard-core combat on the battlefield in Iraq.

Army head coach Stan Brock has heard or read the negative opinions of the Army policy and believes they result from ignorance. Brock pointed out that Campbell was interviewed on-camera by the ESPN television network for 10 minutes during the draft while people in the audience chanted "USA, USA, USA."

"The publicity Caleb generated for West Point during that segment was tremendous. He was articulate, thoughtful and spoke about the benefits and virtues of attending a service academy," Brock said. "That interview reiterated my belief that Calen will do the Army proud in his role as a professional football player, spokesman and recruiter."

While Brock has acknowledged that allowing football or baseball players to turn pro immediately after graduation could give Army a recruiting advantage over Air Force and Navy, he pointed out that relatively few West Point products will ever take advantage of the policy. He said critics need to do their homework and learn more about how the "Alternative Service Option" can benefit the United States Army.

"I challenge the people that are questioning (the policy) to understand how the whole concept and how it actually works," he said.

Campbell realized he had pro potential after starting every game of his sophomore season for the Black Knights. He approached head coach Bobby Ross after the season and announced his intention to transfer to a civilian school. Ross changed Campbell's mind by informing that he could remain at West Point and still pursue his NFL dream.

"I initially came to the academy knowing that I wanted to be an officer in the United States Army. That's why I came to the academy, and playing Division I football was just extra," Campbell said yesterday.

"Coach (Bobby) Ross told me my sophomore year that if I continued to play like I was playing I would have an opportunity to make it to the NFL. That's when I sat down and had a talk with myself. I decided that if football and the opportunity to play in the National Football league presented itself, I was going to take it. Talking with a lot of officers here at the Academy and my coaches, being a football player in the National Football League representing the United States Army would be very beneficial so I decided to go that route."