The final working years of prefect Pascal Mailhos, 65, who was appointed head of France's intelligence and counter-terrorism coordination body, the CNRLT, in January 2023, could have been but the last step in a long career in the service of the state. Service veteran Mailhos has moved between working as the state's representative or prefect upholding the law in different parts of France and more 'political' posts, such as when he was appointed to head the general intelligence service (RG) in 2004,