(RFE/RL) --- 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.
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