The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff has conducted a military assessment of the potential threat Russia were to deploy a cruise missile banned by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Brian McKeon has said.

Speaking at a hearing in the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress, the Pentagon spokesman said that Russia continued to violate the INF treaty.

"Such a violation threatens our security, and the collective security of many allies and partners," McKeon said.

"This violation will not go unanswered, because there is too much at stake," he added.

According to McKeon, the United States takes "very seriously" the question of compliance with the U.S.-Russian treaty signed in 1987. However, he said that the ramifications of Russia's actions, and a U.S. response, affected more than just one arms control agreement.

"They affect our agreement to pursue future arms control and nonproliferation treaties," the Department of Defense's press service quoted McKeon as saying.

He said that as a result of Russian actions, "the Joint Staff has conducted a military assessment of the potential threat were Russia to deploy an INF treaty-range ground-launch cruise missile in Europe or the Asia-Pacific region."

"This assessment has led us to review a broad range of military response options and to consider the effect each option could have on convincing the Russian leadership to return to compliance with the INF treaty, as well as countering the capability of a Russian INF treaty-prohibited system," McKeon said.

He emphasized that the U.S. Department of Defense does not want to engage in an "escalatory cycle" of action and reaction.

"However, Russia's lack of meaningful engagement on this issue - if it persists - will ultimately require the United States to take action to protect its interests and security along with those of its allies and partners, McKeon said.

"Those actions will make Russia less secure," he added.