When the Soviets and Americans met at the Elbe at the end of WWII, the Soviets were astounded that an American 1st Lieutenant had as much authority as a Soviet colonel.
In 1994, I was in boot camp with a Russian emigre' who was drafted into the Soviet Army in the mid-1980's. He told me that the Sergeants had no real authority at all, and it was the Officers who were giving the orders. Of course, in the US Army, the E-5's, 6's, and 7's are the backbone.
Even some that weren't technically NCOs.