Northrop Grumman Corp. has snared a $2.5 billion Navy contract to refuel and overhaul the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

The Pentagon’s postponement of a decision about whether to move an aircraft carrier from Norfolk to Mayport, Fla., buys the commonwealth some time to make its case. The final call will have major ramifications, so the question inevitably has generated huge political and economic interest. But the ultimate decision should rest on military necessity.

Virginia political leaders are vowing to fight the Navy’s decision to homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Florida. The Navy announced yesterday that Florida’s Mayport Naval Station will be the home port for the carrier, bringing 3,190 military jobs with it. The move is expected to pump about $500 million into the north Florida economy.

In a departure from tradition, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush will be commissioned next month before sea trials and formal delivery to the Navy, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding said yesterday. The $6.2 billion carrier named after the 41st president is scheduled for commissioning Jan. 10, just days before the elder Bush’s son, President George W. Bush, leaves office. Both Bushes are expected to attend the commissioning at the Norfolk Naval Station.