Why Red Storm Rising works as a strategy exercise

Why use Red Storm Rising rather than SSN to teach naval conflict?

Red Storm Rising presents a complete war scenario suitable for strategic analysis, while SSN is too limited for that teaching task.

Classes on strategy and naval conflict need a scenario that covers an entire war. Red Storm Rising gives students enough scope to test decisions and consequences at that scale. SSN may be a good book, but its narrower story does not provide the same analytical frame. The choice rests on the scale of the exercise rather than a judgment about literary quality.