Here’s a question: what does it cost to train a handful (four or five) Syrian fighters to combat the Islamic State (ISIS) in their native country? Couple of thousand bucks? Maybe tens of thousands of bucks — if that?

Nope.

Might want to sit down for this.

Ready?

$500 million.

That’s right. Five. Hundred. MILLION. American. Dollars.

And this unconceivable, unthinkable figure came straight from the horse’s mouth: the top military leader overseeing the war — General Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command. He admitted such during a angered Senate armed services committee on Wednesday.

According to The Guardian, the plan has Barack Obama’s name all over it, as it stood as his solution for “retaking Syrian territory” from the extremist faction. The plan — which was finalized in 2014 — called for having more than 5,000 fighters trained by now. Afraid they’re about 4,995 fighters short.

Austin did reassure the audience that “progress was being made” against ISIS, but admitted that the current force in place is in no way prepared to defend the Syrian civilians against the forces loyal to dictator Bashar al-Assad, as well as the terrorists.

Senator John McCain, a famous and decorated veteran himself, called the strategy “a debacle”.

More from The Guardian:

“The program is much smaller than we hoped,” conceded the Pentagon’s policy chief, Christine Wormuth, saying there were between 100 and 120 fighters currently being trained. Wormuth said they were “getting terrific training”.

Both Wormuth and Austin defended US strategy against Isis in the face of bipartisan skepticism from the senators.

Senator Claire McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri, mocked the Syrian training program, expressing incredulity that the Defense Department would seek another $600m to fund fighters she said the US was counting “on our fingers and toes”.

“It’s time for a new plan,” McCaskill said.

You think?