Because of a program instituted when Francis J. Harvey served as Secretary of the Army, all four future West Point graduates will be allowed to pursue careers in professional football while working part-time as recruiters for the United States Army.

That stance seems at odds with a Department of Defense directive, which clearly states that service academy graduates cannot apply for the Alternative Service Option program until serving a minimum of two years on active duty.

As Naval Academy athletic director Chet Gladchuk accurately pointed out, Army is subverting the Department of Defense directive by "redefining active duty to include playing professional sports."

Numerous Army officials have stated with a serious tone and straight face that having Caleb Campbell spend a few hours a week talking to high school students about the virtues of military service does indeed constitute active duty. I don't think the general public is so easily fooled into believing that Campbell's level of service will come anywhere close to equaling that of other 2008 West Point graduates.

Nobody is belittling recruiting as a viable job in the Army. All the military branches need inspirational individuals to encourage youngsters to attend a service academy or enlist in the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marine Corps. However, most citizens would expect officers assigned to work as recruiters to perform that duty somewhere in the range of 40 hours per week.

High-ranking officials will claim this policy was put in place for the greater benefit of the U.S. Army, that media exposure gained from showcasing the "unique talents and abilities" of select West Point graduates will enhance the national recruiting and public affairs efforts of the service.

Col. Bryan Hilferty, spokesman for the United States Military Academy, actually told ESPN during an on-camera interview that a West Point graduate selected to appear on the television program "American Idol" could take advantage of the Alternative Service Option. We'll be waiting with baited breath for that unlikely occurrence. So far, the only West Point graduates accepted into the program have been athletes intent on turning pro.

It's time to cut through all the rhetoric and diversionary tactics and call a spade a spade. Army's policy was implemented for one reason - to improve the struggling football program at West Point. Anyone who thinks otherwise does not know the facts about how this misguided program came into existence.

In 2003, Army formed an "advisory panel" comprised of such heavy hitters as former Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne and long-time NFL head coach Bill Parcells that discussed what Army needed to do in order to field a winning football team. Those strategic meetings resulted in two major decisions - to withdraw from Conference USA and to implement a plan that Army players to pursue pro football immediately after graduation.

Returning the program to independent status was the easy part and was accomplished within a year. Harvey, the former Secretary of the Army, was clearly sympathetic to plight of Army football and approved the Alternative Service Option in 2005.

Obviously, the entire point of the policy - reportedly pushed by former West Point superintendent Lt. Gen. Franklin L. Hagenback - is to help Army football coaches to recruit better players. Attending a service academy is a difficult decision for an 18-year-old high school senior because of the five-year military commitment that is required. For football recruits, all of whom have the dream of one day playing in the NFL, the fact Army provides the option of turning pro instead of serving is a major enticement.

Keep in mind that Army, Air Force and Navy have always recruited from pretty much the same pool of players. There is an extremely limited number of Division I-caliber football prospects that will consider a service academy.

Will this new policy give Army a recruiting advantage over its service academy rivals. You're darn right! At present, Air Force coaches must tell prospective recruits they are required to serve at least two years of active duty before applying to the Department of Defense to play in the NFL. Because current Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter has suspended the Alternative Service Option until further notice, the coaching staff in Annapolis has its hands completely tied.

"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," Gladchuk said.

It's time for Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates to wake up and do something about this obvious inequity that now exists among the three major service academies. My guess is that when Gates authorized the Alternative Service Option on Jan. 1, 2008, he intended for it to be applied equally at Army, Air Force and Navy.

Army found a loophole in the policy and is exploiting it big-time. If Campbell or any of the other 2008 graduates makes the NFL, current head coach Stan Brock will hold them up as examples when luring recruits with the pitch: If you develop into a professional prospect, you can get out of your five-year military commitment.

Frankly, it's unbelievable that Gates has turned a blind eye to this situation so far. One can only wonder why the Secretary of Defense is allowing Army to pursue a different version of the Alternative Service Policy than Air Force or Navy.

Winter, the Secretary of the Navy, certainly isn't doing his branch of the service any favors by inexplicably suspending the Alternative Service Option altogether and severely hurting the recruiting efforts of varsity coaches at the Naval Academy.

Taxpayers foot the bill to educate students at Air Force, Army and Navy under the belief the graduates of those institutions will one day protect the rights and freedoms of United States citizens by serving in the armed forces. I would imagine the majority of taxpayers would agree that playing pro football full-time while recruiting part-time does not constitute legitimate military service.

Which begs the question: How effective of an Army recruiter can Caleb Campbell be considering he's effectively avoiding his five-year commitment? It would seem difficult for Campbell to talk about the realities of military service when he has not fully tasted that life.

There have been other service academy products play professional sports over the years. Former Navy football player Roger Staubach and former Air Force football player Chad Hennings come to mind. Staubach served four years in the Navy and did a tour of duty in Vietnam before becoming a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Hennings served four years in the Air Force and flew combat missions over Iraq before joining the Cowboys as a defensive lineman.

Those two men had credibility as recruiters because they actually served active duty and experienced what Air Force and Navy officers really do. This experiment with Campbell could backfire on Army when television announcers tell his true story and the public realizes he never really worked full-time as a military officer.

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Bwagner@capitalgazette.com