Most modern militaries no longer require Morse code, but several special-operations and intelligence units still train operators in CW. It's a low-bandwidth, low-power, low-signature mode that works when nothing else does.
Burst transmission, signal lamp communication between ships, and emergency E&E (escape and evasion) signaling all use Morse precisely because it can be sent at a power level too low for direction-finding equipment to pinpoint.
Most regular military forces stopped general Morse training in the 1990s-2000s. Special operations communicators, naval signal lamp operators, and some intelligence specialists still receive CW training.
Military communicators historically trained to 18-20 WPM minimum, with many operators reaching 30+ WPM. Modern courses often emphasize burst-mode encoding and decoding rather than real-time copy.
Signal lamps use a directional shutter to flash Morse code at another vessel or aircraft. It's used for communication when radio silence (EMCON) is in effect. the signal is line-of-sight and effectively undetectable beyond the line of contact.
Morse cuts through low signal-to-noise ratios that would render voice unintelligible, uses 5-10x less power for the same range, and produces a transmission signature that's harder to direction-find than continuous voice.
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