Because of the ease with which combatants can masquerade as civilians, it is not uncommon for them to use 'bait and trap' methods to catch friendly troops by surprise. Successful delusions violate assumptions which upset mental models and require subsequent adaptations.

Adding to the goal conflicts of MOUT, the preservation of local infrastructure is also important to mitigate the suffering of those not actively involved in the fighting and to keep them from getting involved. Specific actions (or a lack thereof) which are seen as aggressive or unnecessarily intrusive or violent can trigger such phenomena which swiftly effect the nature and tempo of the battlefield.

The complexity of MOUT also reminds us of the need to assure the integrity of available resources such as ammunition, fuel, food, and PSYOPS to accomplish tasks that are difficult to predict and often change drastically with little to no notice.