Just a thought:
There's a lot of soldiers that are coming home from sandy places. Let them have their "home leave" and then let them volunteer for "protection duty" aboard random ships in the region for a month or two at a time. Arm them, allow them to rest and let them react with maximum force if attacked.
As the soldier, you "pays your money and takes your chance"... You could get an oil tanker or a pleasure cruise - the former is probably far more likely... But, it's "easy time" after you get over the seasickness.
The deterrent factor is huge... and I'm sure there will be sufficient volunteers for the program...