[leadpenny]

My question:

". . . but when will it carry a squad of Marines from Kandahar into [the] mountains that border Pakistan?"

Your answer:

"How long does it take to break down and load a CH-53E onto a C-5 or C-17, fly it to theater, reassemble it and conduct a PMCF before it can be used tactically?"

I'll take that as an, "I don't know."

[A.A. Cunningham]

How Clintonesque of you to parse your original statement:

This is great if we need to get troops from New River to Farnbourgh, but when will it carry a squad of Marines from Kandahar into mountains that border Pakistan?

Since the aircraft hasn't deployed to theater yet we don't have the answer to your simpleton question.

Now answer the one that was posed to you.