8 Biggest U.S. Military Boondoggles of 2015

CNN: The 8 biggest military boondoggles of 2015

(CNN)Pilot error? $115 million. An unfinished gas station in Afghanistan? $43 million. The public relations hit accompanying a rogue blimp's unsanctioned tour of Maryland and Pennsylvania? Absolutely priceless.

The U.S. military budget for fiscal year 2015 was set at about $610 billion, more than China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the U.K. combined -- and that's after another round of congressionally mandated spending cuts.

But whether it concerns new outlays or older, more costly projects gone awry, the past 12 months have seen a remarkable assortment of busts and boondoggles.

Here are eight memorable meltdowns that military brass will be hoping you forget.

WNU Editor: Spending half a billion dollars on a Syrian rebel army that just never got off the ground is my #1 military "boondoggle story" of the year. But what makes it special is the straight face that Gen. Lloyd Austin gave when he said it (see above video).