Not necessary. The army did it as a safety precaution. The instructions were that you would go to 2 wheel drive if doing tight maneuvering on hard ground such as a parking lot. On dry pavement, there is no need for 4 wheel drive at any time. I remember changing a lot of worn axle joints on the regimental police Iltis which was regularly operated around camp. The bulk of the Iltis just went down the highway and into a training area.
In the icy season though, or when things are wet, it might make sense.
Note when shifting back into two wheel drive, you merely flop the lever forward and let it pop in when it's ready. If you force it, you will bend the linkage and be stuck in four wheel drive. I straightened many many many of those over the years.
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