The concern was the seizure and launch by illegitimate parties. A bypass of the PAL system was nontrivial, giving the needed time to handle that issue (recaptu

The concern was the seizure and launch by illegitimate parties. A bypass of the PAL system was nontrivial, giving the needed time to handle that issue (recapture, destruction, ...) without worrying about your own nuclear weapons being used against you or your allies anytime quickly.