ZAFT: Protectors of the PLANTs
ZAFT (Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty) is a political, economic, and military alliance of PLANT colonies. Specifically, ZAFT usually refers to the military side of organization. It was originally formed as the political alliance known as the Zodiac Alliance to peacefully fight for the rights and independence of Coordinators. This follows in the rather curious Gundam tradition of naming the space-colony military with a 'Z' (Zeon, from early Universal Century, and the Zanscare Empire of Victory Gundam) or 'Zodiac' within its acronym (such as Gundam Wing's OZ/Order of Zodiac).
ZAFT is well-equipped with Nazca-class and Laurasia-class warships in space, Lesseps-class and Petrie-class vessels on land, and Vosgulov-class submarines at sea.
ZAFT fights the Earth Alliance to a standstill in the Bloody Valentine War of Cosmic Era 70-71. During mid CE 71 Patrick Zala, who blames all Naturals for the death of his wife in the Bloody Valentine Incident, becomes leader of not only ZAFT but also of PLANT and effectivly removes the moderate faction of the PLANT Supreme Council. Zala plans to wipe out all human life on Earth, eliminating, he believes, Naturals who are the cause of all warfare and establish Coordinators as the master race, a "new humanity".
ZAFT's military is organized as a militia rather than the Earth Alliance's OMNI Enforcer military force, using positional titles as ranks rather than more traditional ones. In addition, command is assigned based on personal connections as skill - it is made clear at several points that a large part of why Athrun Zala is given command of the Le Creuset team on Earth is because of his father's position.
Lastly, it should be noted that pilot suits are also colored a variety of colors, but these colors do not always correspond to rank. Typically, pilots who wear green or red uniforms wear the matching color of pilot suit. However, numerous varieties, such as purple, white, white and purple, and orange exist and are used, typically by elite pilots with custom units. Despite this, pilot suits usually have a stripe (or series of stripes not unlike real-life military chevrons) indicating rank, though what rank or superiority precisely indicated is unknown.
Following the Junius Seven colony drop disaster, the Earth Alliance demands that ZAFT demilitarize and its government disperse; the obvious refusal results in the second war between ZAFT and Earth in four years. Earth support for ZAFT greatly increased after PLANT Chairman Gilbert Dullindal's famous anti-Logos/Blue Cosmos speech that was broadcast throughout the PLANTS and Earth. Even though ZAFT and the Three Ship Alliance joined forces and fought together against Earth Alliance forces, they still remain enemies.
ZAFT has consistently proven itself to be on the cutting edge of nuclear technology, producing the Neutron Jammer, the Neutron Jammer Canceller, and the Neutron Stampeder. In addition, they developed the Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System, which allows a battleship to recharge its mobile suits' batteries without them having to return to the ship.