Final answer:
The psychological phase aims at undermining the enemy's willingness for conflict or control over an operational area, and includes the use of autonomy and robotics in modern warfare to reduce human casualties and collateral damage.
Step-by-step explanation:
The psychological phase focuses on breaking the enemy's will for organized resistance or, in non-combat situations, control of the operational environment. This notion is particularly relevant in modern warfare, where autonomy, and robotics will be prevalent on the battlefield.
However, this shift towards a new form of hybrid warfare broadens the battlefield beyond direct military engagement. Cyber-infiltration and disinformation campaigns become tools of war, capable of destabilizing a nation's internal functions, thereby elevating the nature of conflict to what can be described as 'total war.' Despite the reduced need for human soldiers in direct combat, these emerging threats highlight the necessity for comprehensive defensive measures against these more invasive forms of attack.
In historical context, similar strategies were apparent as seen during The Pacific War, where the second phase involved a stalemate that prevented either party from taking the initiative, as with the Battle of Guadalcanal. Later, in the third phase, the Allies went on the offensive with strategies to outmaneuver the enemy, a concept reflective in ancient strategical teachings like those found in Sun Tzu's The Art of War, which emphasize the importance of striking at the enemy's weaknesses similar to how water flows.