The fleets of the EL are more suited for defense than attack, as many of them are bolstered by Elementals living on the planets the ships are stationed on. They are not, however, pushovers, as they have ships that can endure all types of punishment, and are usually led by the ghost of a great tactician.
The Elemental League always sends representatives to the Galactic Council meetings, but since the Elementals who know best cannot leave their home planets, the diplomats sent are not always the best-informed on matters, and are usually given directions on how to vote and what to bring up ahead of time. As would be expected, they usually vote in the manner which results in the best decision for the environment, so many other politicians try to make bills sound enviro-friendly to appeal to the EL vote.