Exactly... in the past, I saw a certain Jug squadron come down and take out the hangers at a field. Instead of augering for more eggs, they covered each other in a game of leapfrog all the way home while the few of us tried to engage them.
They could of done it with 30 people in the mission, but instead did it with 6 guys, more than one brain between them (unlike the huge missions), and it was far more impressive.
But that is only practical at the squad level, to try and do that with "walk-ons" just wouldn't work. The only type of "public" mission you can expect to do, is what we have now, where you are doing well to just get everyone flying in the same direction.
I don't see what the problem is, these large missions rarely have a significant (if any) impact on the map and are really more of a social and "something different to do" thing. If you don't like it, don't participate.