Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have gained popularity in various fields owing to their strength, durability, and lightweight nature. CFRP is a fiber-reinforced composite material that employs carbon fiber as the primary structural component, making it suitable for aircraft components that require high strength, anisotropy, and thermal conductivity. For the components made from composite laminate, drilling is a crucial machining technique that requires particular attention. During drilling, maintaining processing quality is challenging due to the influence of drilling force, which can lead to delamination, tearing, and other defects. In this paper, we present a finite element analysis of the drilling process in carbon fiber composite and study its mechanical behavior. We developed a three-dimensional model of an M21/T700 carbon fiber-reinforced polymer and simulated the drilling process using Abaqus software. The various force components during drilling are analyzed and compared the stress and plastic equivalent strain incurred during the drilling process with the spindle speed and feed rate. This study can aid in selecting a spindle speed and feed rate combination that reduces the thrust force induced during drilling, preventing interlaminar and intralaminar failure modes at critical thrust forces. This, in turn, can assist in reducing the degradation and development of drilling tools and designing carbon fiber composite materials.