On a related note: the game will default to 1280xXXX in the launcher starting from the next version, if that's available on the system. 1024x768 is still "supported", but it really is difficult to create a UI that works well in 1024x768, while taking advantage of higher resolutions. My feeling on it is that if you're running at 1024x768, that meets the "minimum requirements", but definitely not up to "recommended". It's similar to running the game on a super-low-end video card - it'll work, but it's not going to run great.
I'd suggest the ability to simply name weapons groups. Give the weapon group a short name in the window where you assign your weapons.
That might help here, but it's far from the only thing that's less than ideal at 1024x768, and, honestly, I don't think this specifically is worth singling out over other issues that crop up. That said, it is pretty busy regardless of the resolution, and I might end up taking a look at it at some point anyway. I do feel your pain, I just don't think I can realistically make the entirety of the UI work well in 1024x768. It'll work, but there are going to be some rough edges here and there.
(I was recently thinking about dropping support for 1024x768 entirely, btw, but have so far decided against it. It really is quite an added complication to constantly deal with.)