Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the United States has supported the overthrow of the Assad government, while Russia has recognized Assad as the legitimate Syrian authority.
"If, in fact, it gets to a point where we see Russian aircraft operating in that area, we would, I imagine, have to set up some kind of deconfliction mechanism so that we can continue our counter-ISIL campaign there," Wormuth told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
On Monday, the Pentagon alleged that Russia was building a forward airbase in Syria, acknowledging that a Russian presence in Syrian airspace could complicate the coalition's efforts against ISIL.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that Russian flights in Syria are related to the delivery of defensive equipment to support the Syrian government military.
