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Introductory Comments Kumar V. Jata, Air Force Research Laboratory U.S. Air Force (USAF) weapons systems use a broad spectrum of materials and components processed through various complex materials processing routes and must be able to operate in a wide range of environments from benign to extreme. Maintenance and prediction of the useful life of these components are technically challenging tasks and are even more daunting when approached from a materials perspective. The future paradigm for maintaining the USAF systems is condition-based maintenance (CBM), which demands rigorous and rapid maintenance, repair, and replacement decisions and accurate prognosis (see Session 1 for a summary of prognosis) at the fleet level. Since the failure or inability of a component to perform its function begins at the material level, successful implementation of CBM hinges on incorporating materials state awareness concepts. The field of CBM is filled with researchers from crosscutting disciplines; besides understanding the science and technology, grasping the terminology itself is often challenging. A number of experts from around the country were invited by the National Materials Advisory Board and a workshop organizing panel chaired by Professor Edgar Starke to discuss issues pertaining to materials state awareness. The following are some of the objectives to which this workshop should contribute: (1) obtain an understanding of the concept of materials state awareness (MSA) in the context of CBM, (2) identify methods to assess MSA, (3) identify issues and challenges associated with the incorporation of MSA into future sustainment and prognosis, and (4) if possible, generate elements of a roadmap that will help with the incorporation of materials science concepts into CBM strategies. 1