I think you misunderstood. "Initiating MAD" doesn't mean launching an attack. It means assuring that any full nuclear attack is met with a similar counter attac

I think you misunderstood. "Initiating MAD" doesn't mean launching an attack. It means assuring that any full nuclear attack is met with a similar counter attack, ie. the "Mutual" part of "Assured Destruction". If you don't respond... there's no MAD.