Maybe it is part of the planned reduction in manning. Smaller crews are great, until you need to fight or save the ship.
That has been one of my big concerns, the push towards greater automation of damage control and other systems.
Like you said, it is great when you have intact power supplies and infrastructure, but...when power is lost...or a missile takes out a section of wiring.
Sure, you can probably set up patch lines and such, but...that won’t be automated. Someone is going to have to do that.
And what about simply having people who can use timbers and such to plug holes in the hull?
Couple the automation with a higher percentage of female crewmembers who lack the physical strength of their male counterparts, and you have ships sinking when they might be saved.
I think it is a bad idea, and short-sighted. This whole thing is a damned goat rodeo.