3GIMBALS

Pacific Islands Drug Trafficking Networks Undermine Regional Sovereignty and Strategic Stability Across the Indo-Pacific

Chinese triads have orchestrated a multifaceted drug trafficking network that spans beyond the Pacific Islands, fueling drug crises in the U.S. and amongst its allies.

Transnational drug trafficking networks have transformed the Pacific Islands into a strategic convergence zone for criminal influence, logistical coordination, and systemic corruption. This analysis traces the evolution from isolated smuggling routes to a deeply embedded, hemispheric trafficking architecture—one that fuses Chinese, Southeast Asian, Latin American, Balkan, and Australasian actors into a durable narcotics ecosystem. The Pacific is no longer a peripheral transit zone; it is a contested operating environment where sovereignty, infrastructure, and institutional integrity are increasingly at risk.

Preventing Unauthorized Access to DoD Installations: Emerging Threats & Solutions

The prevalence of foreign farmland ownership near DoD installations provides an easy opportunity for unauthorized drone access. Sources: AFIDA Annual Report through 31 December 2023 and Defense Installation Spatial Data Infrastructure (DISDI) Program within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment.

Preventing unauthorized access to DoD installations is no longer just about stopping trespassers—it’s now a critical national security imperative as adversaries like China and Iran increasingly test U.S. defenses. Incidents involving drone incursions, suspicious intrusions disguised as tourism, and coordinated espionage attempts highlight growing vulnerabilities that traditional force protection methods are ill-equipped to handle. In this blog, we delve into the urgent threat landscape, share recent alarming case studies from 2024 and 2025, explore policy responses such as the GATE CRASHERS Act, and advocate for modernized, integrated security approaches that combine artificial intelligence, open-source intelligence, and advanced analytics to decisively counter threats and secure DoD installations against unauthorized access.

Open-Source Vetting for National Security: AI-Driven OSINT and Insider Threat Detection

In an era of escalating insider threats and state-sponsored tech espionage, U.S. national security agencies are turning to open-source intelligence (OSINT) and unclassified data to vet individuals and companies for hidden risks. Open-source vetting for national security leverages AI, machine learning, graph databases, and data fusion to connect the dots across public information, enhancing risk assessments and spotting insider threats before they wreak havoc. From cutting-edge AI tools that flag anomalies in a contractor’s background to graph-powered analytics exposing covert networks, these innovations are reshaping how the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) safeguard America’s secrets. This in-depth analysis explores how open-source vetting works in practice—and why recent insider espionage cases in 2024 and 2025 underscore its urgency.

Securing Global Supply Chains in an Era of Heightened Risk

From Houthi attacks in the Red Sea to China’s strategic export controls, global supply chains have been rocked by disruptions in 2024 and 2025. This in-depth analysis examines the key threats—geopolitical, cyber, criminal, and environmental—impacting global logistics and critical industries. Learn how the U.S. and its allies are responding with new policies, partnerships, and innovations to strengthen supply chain resilience.

The Power of Intelligence Fusion in Understanding Migration Trends 

Intelligence fusion enables the multifaceted monitoring of migration drivers to predict emerging trends.

Intelligence fusion for migration offers a groundbreaking approach to understanding global movement. By integrating satellite imagery, social media, economic indicators, and policy shifts, 3GIMBALS uncovers migration drivers in real time. This intelligence empowers governments, security forces, and humanitarian organizations to anticipate trends, allocate resources efficiently, and craft smarter, data-driven policies. Migration analysis has always struggled with answering “why”—until now.

Understanding the Sanctions Quartet: How Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea Navigate a Complex Business Environment 

The Sanctions Quartet have developed strategies to reshape global sanctions enforcement, enabling Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea to bypass restrictions through alternative financial systems, shadow trade networks, and cyber-enabled illicit activities. Understanding how this alliance operates is crucial to countering its growing influence and the broader geopolitical risks it presents.

Data-Driven Intelligence for Combating Drug Cartels  

Data-driven intelligence for mapping drug trafficking routes.

Explore how OSINT, AI, and geospatial analytics are revolutionizing U.S. counter-narcotics efforts. With new policies designating cartels as terrorist organizations and advanced intelligence tools mapping trafficking networks, law enforcement is shifting from reactive to proactive. Learn how data-driven intelligence is reshaping the fight against drug trafficking in 2024-2025.