To develop a fundamental understanding and quantitative assessment of the dynamic response and failure modes of highly heterogeneous and anisotropic composites of ceramics, cermets, metals, and fiber-reinforced polymeric composites, various specific complementary scientific tasks have been initiated by the participating team members, based on their strengths and expertise. These tasks include development of novel experimental techniques, preliminary experiments, development of micromechanically-based models, and computational tools. As research progresses, these efforts ...