It's a proven fact that people make more effort when they have a goal to achieve, 1 = Impliment a goal 2 = provide means to attain goal 3 = reward achievement of reaching the goal. tis all psychology but is proven to be effective.
The great 2142 unlocks will be used to give each class a selection of weapons/grenades/cool extras. Whether or not you will need to 'unlock' them by earning points or objectives has yet to be decided.