You are correct. Speed is still issued to pilots and long-range reconnaissance ops. Sometimes you have to stay awake for two or three days. It won't kill you. And there is nothing inherently immoral about it.
Getting hooked, OTOH, has no redeeming aspects.
This week came an announcement from England about an American Company (Cortex Pharma) doing a phase IIa test on Ampakines. These drugs are AMPA receptor potentiators (as LLY calls them) that apparently have NO side effects, increase cognition, and may be a treatment for Alzheimer's by delaying effects (not a cure, but making what you have left work better).
And on topic, they have COMPLETELY reversed the effects on sleep depravation in some tests, making scores BETTER than rested scores with monkeys.
DARPA has funded a study at Wake Forest under Sam Deadwyler using monkeys in sleep depravation with VERY IMPRESSIVE RESULTS. He is supposed to publish a paper in the near future on his studies. With the results this week, DARPA will probably provide MORE money for these drugs to be tested at Wake Forest. I believe they may also fund human testing on sleep depravation.
By the way, LLY says parkinson's disease can be cured with these drugs. CORTEX owns ALL the patents now. Quite a story is emerging!
From the DARPA web site:
Preventing Sleep Deprivation
Program Manager: Dr. Amy A. Kruse
Sleep deprivation is a fact of modern combat. Current operations depend upon the warfighter’s ability to function for extended periods of time without adequate sleep. For example, a pilot may be required to fly continuously for 30 hours or more in order to reach the target and safely return home. For Special Forces, a search and rescue mission may necessitate 48-72 hours of sustained activity, whereas advancing ground troops might engage in weeks of combat operations with only 3 hours of sleep per night. Command and control personnel frequently share similar, and sometimes even more extreme, requirements for sustained cognitive performance despite minimal sleep. The widespread operational demand for optimal performance in sleep-depriving conditions demonstrates the necessity for development of methods to safely combat sleep deprivation and to prevent the associated degradation of performance.
The goal of the Preventing Sleep Deprivation Program is to define and implement approaches to prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation, and to provide methods for recovery of function with particular emphasis on cognitive and psychomotor impairments. Examples of multidisciplinary research currently supported by this program include the following:
A research team centered at Wake Forest University is verifying and extending preliminary data demonstrating that the novel class of medicines known as "Ampakines" is protective against cognitive deficits associated with sleep deprivation. Ampakines already have been proven safe in humans, and are currently in clinical trials for the restoration of mental function in patients with dementia. It is envisioned that Ampakines may provide an alternative to current stimulant medications used by pilots.
http://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrust/biosci/cap.htm