Do those maintain the kind of beam coherency required for long-range use?

I think that the weaponized lasers I’ve seen in actual use, like the AN/SEQ-3 are pulse lasers. I don’t know why that is the case; if I had to guess, it might be necessary to avoid some forms of defenses, like producing so much thermal expansion so quickly that it tears apart ablative armor or prevents the target from rotating or rotating some form of shield to change the point exposed to the laser. I don’t really follow laser technology, though. Are these capable of pulsed output?