The United Earth Federation: Supreme Commander's Last Empire

The United Earth Federation is the closest thing Supreme Commander has to a familiar side: tanks, battleships and a flag. It's easy to read them as the default heroes. The games don't let you, because the UEF's plan for ending the war is to destroy its enemies' worlds. (Supreme Commander)

From Empire to Federation#

The Earth Empire didn't survive the Infinite War. The UEF was founded from what remained, and its leaders have spent centuries trying to rebuild it. Earthcom gave it structure and a chain of command. It calls itself a federation and talks about saving humanity, but in practice it's a military state fighting a war it can't afford to lose. (Supreme Commander)

Black Sun#

President Riley's project is the centre of the first game. Black Sun is a colossal weapon on Earth that can use the gate network to destroy whole planets. General Samantha Clarke oversees it. The campaign has the player defending research sites and convoys on Capella and other worlds, and rescuing the scientists the project needs. Colonel Zachary Arnold is the player's first mentor. (Supreme Commander)

The campaign ends with the player firing it. The Aeon and Cybran home worlds are wiped out and the war is over. The game presents this as victory, and it's by far the coldest ending of the three. (Supreme Commander)

Allies, briefly#

In Forged Alliance the UEF forms the Coalition with the Cybrans, and the Aeon Loyalists join. It works, barely. Brigadier General Fletcher's hatred of his allies finally boils over near the end, and he turns on them and has to be killed by the player. (Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance)

Supreme Commander 2 shows the same fault line. Dominic Maddox is a UEF officer married to an Illuminate, and when ordered to destroy the colony of New Cathedral he refuses and goes absent without leave. The Federation's old instinct to treat outsiders as enemies is what costs it one of its best officers. (Supreme Commander 2)