Eglin AFB in the Florida panhandle was the Air Force's primary armament and testing center. Boyd was stationed at Eglin in the early 1960s after completing his engineering degree at Georgia Tech. Working with mathematician Thomas Christie, Boyd used Eglin's mainframe computers — often without proper authorization — to develop Energy-Maneuverability (E-M) theory. The E-M diagrams produced at Eglin quantified aircraft combat performance in ways the Air Force had never seen, and would directly influence the design of the F-15 and F-16. Boyd's willingness to use "stolen" computer time to do unauthorized work exemplified his career-long pattern of prioritizing results over institutional propriety.