SINGAPORE - Singapore and Malaysia's defence ministers inked a letter of intent on Monday to step up military cooperation between the two countries.

In a joint statement, both Dr Ng Eng Hen and his counterpart Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said they agreed to encourage more military-to-military exchanges, such as in the area of intelligence.

This will address security concerns such as the threat of ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) in the region, they added.

With the letter of intent, both militaries will also seek to work more closely in the field of maritime security. This will be through a proposal by Malaysia to conduct coordinated patrols within each country's own territorial waters.

Datuk Seri Hishammuddin met with Dr Ng on Monday, as part of a two-day introductory visit on March 1 and 2, during which he also called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana.