>>536597220
They're meant to be around GV's age. They sound young and are smaller/thinner than their Sumeragi counterparts (see picture). As for their eliteness, it's as others said, it's because they're adepts. Something else is that Sumeragi is more of a defense force. They haven't gotten involved in major military action. Indeed, they get rolled whenever they do have to fight foreigners (see Eden, ATEMS, or the cut bad ending from GV1 where China/US fuck them up). Eden are a ragtag paramilitary who are constantly fighting against some of the strongest governments around, like China.