A variety of novel forms of nanostructured composites are currently being explored to enhance mechanical properties such as strength, ductility, and fracture toughness, and achieve tailored response under extreme mechanical conditions. The current challenges in the field involve understanding and engineering the interface chemistry and atomic and defect structures to achieve the novel and enhanced functionalities. The focus of this symposium will be on processing-structure-property relationships in nano-composites with enhanced mechanical properties and damage tolerance. Fundamental studies on mechanical properties of nano-composites including ex-situ and in-situ SEM/TEM/XRD characterization as well as theory, modeling and simulations on relevant length scales will be addressed. Nano-composites of interest will consist of metals, ceramics, amorphous materials and their derivative containing nano-carbon based materials, and other novel processing routes for advanced structural nano-composites.