I mean, using mercenaries has worked out horribly in the real world, and mercenaries are at least theoretically under the control of their paymasters. Privateers are actually a step down from mercenaries, as they have state imprimatur but don't operate under state control, and their profit incentive was (and would be again) to find as many excuses as possible to kill people and take their ships.

Also too, you'd be unlikely to find any takers. Hunting pirates off the coast of Somalia and the straits of Malacca is unlikely to be at all profitable (modern real-life pirates tend to be deeply poor) and we haven't been at war with any nation-state who a private person could field their own private warship against with any expectation of profitable success since... I'm gonna say since the American Civil War.

-Merc
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