Christian Sailor Sues Royal Navy for Religious Discrimination After Objecting to Firing Nukes

HMS Vanguard, commissioned in 1993, was the first of the Royal Navy's current fleet of four nuclear-armed and powered submarines that make up the UK's ballistic missile deterrent. At least one boat is at sea at all times, carrying a sealed letter from the prime minister with orders of how to respond to a nuclear attack on the country.

A former Royal Navy submarine officer has taken the service to an employment tribunal after, claiming he was discriminated against as a Christian for objecting to using nuclear weapons.

Antonio Jardim resigned from the British Navy in March 2021, just over a year after he was relieved of his duties for airing his religious beliefs.

A preliminary tribunal hearing in Southampton heard on Wednesday that Jardim, then a sub-lieutenant, was assigned on January 24, 2020 as a weapons officer on HMS Vanguard — the lead boat in her class of four Trident ballistic missile-carrying submarines that make up the UK's nuclear deterrent.

The submarine is armed with 16 Trident II D5 missiles, each of which carries four independently-targeted thermonuclear warheads with a yield of 100 kilotons — eight times the power of the Hiroshima bomb.

But two weeks later, on February 6, he told his superiors that he was "against being personally involved with the operational deployment of nuclear weapons" due to his Christian beliefs.

Jardim says that when his crewmates learned of his objection, they nicknamed him "Trigger" for his reluctance to "pull the trigger".

Later that year he was removed from the Trident Officers General Course after again telling officers about his concerns, and told to wait in his cabin.

Jardim says he was then subjected to a "comprehensive interview" with "in depth questions of my views, relationships and background." He was then "told not to return to the boat, and that his name was written in the Quartermaster's book stating that he was not to be let on board."

He was assigned to shore duties at the Portsmouth naval base, but in November 2020 he had one of his security clearances revoked and his ID card confiscated. It took months for Jardim to successfully apply for a new ID, and his clearance was never restored.

Jardim insists "there were no questions asked relating to nuclear weapons" when he applied to join the navy, and that he was told "not to worry" about clearance to serve on nuclear submarines despite holding dual British-Portuguese nationality.

"After completing his initial officer training and joining the submarine service he was assigned for further training on board HMS Vanguard," a report to the tribunal states, pointing out that "HMS Vanguard carries nuclear missiles as part of the UK's nuclear deterrent."

"Mr Jardim's case is that as a Christian he is opposed to nuclear weapons, and that when he made his views known shortly after his appointment he was removed from the boat, had his security clearance cancelled and then spent about a year with shore-based employment before deciding to leave the Service."

"After consideration of options and talking to my current (superior officer), I wanted to leave the service after the treatment I received when making my moral views known," Jardim said in a statement.. "I believe I have been subjected to a series of connected acts of discriminatory treatment based upon my religious beliefs."

He also said that "after a great deal of thought, and with much regret" he submitted a request for Voluntary Withdrawal From Training (VWFT) on March 18 2021.

Employment Judge Eoin Fowel ruled that Jardim is to take his case to a full tribunal hearing, but that it could only consider events from June 2020 onwards — after his removal from submarine duty.