It doesn't matter wtf command calls them.
And I'm familiar with a lot of reasonable NCOs that would have the ovum to stand up against bullshit. When I came to my unit, it was filled with a shit ton of reclassified infantrymen and forward scouts, etc. You don't have to be smart to be an infantryman, but there is rationality abound among those who make it to senior NCO positions in combat arms, then later are able to be retrained and maintain effective operation and leadership. Essentially your taking the best hammer and rebuilding it as a computer to be in charge of those who have only been computers. And some of the most admirable and honorable people I've ever met were the NCOs that, while probably terrible at math and science and be considered dumb, were phenomenal philosophers. Not in the "waste time with dumb what ifs and whys" kind of way, but the ones who have, or nearly have, mastered the art of critical thinking and reasoning. At the end of the day, theyre still fallable humans, but they were the best for the job and exactly what the army needs, regardless it's wants.